


Pushing the Limits

by eorocks64



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Beaches, F/M, Holidays, Inspired by Law & Order: SVU, Partnership, Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eorocks64/pseuds/eorocks64
Summary: Olivia and Casey are set to go away from a week in Maine, but when Casey can't make it, Elliot invites himself along.  One of my 'holiday' fics!
Relationships: Olivia Benson & Elliot Stabler
Comments: 16
Kudos: 12





	1. Pushing the Limits Chapter 1

AN: I hope everyone’s ready for another light-hearted story. It’s similar to my summer stories, except, well, it’s autumn? In case you weren’t aware, the locations of my summer stories are always places I’ve been or trips I’ve taken, or have a striking resemblance to them. For this one, I have to give a special shout out to JessicaR_NY. She took a fabulous trip up to Maine and told me how wonderful it was and I’m stealing her spot and getting lots of insight from her because it sounded like a perfect spot for a little EO getaway.

EOEOEOEO 

Olivia caught sight of Casey as she walked into the squad room, and the expression on Casey’s face told her that she didn’t have good news. Olivia took a mental inventory of the list of open cases on her desk, wondering which one of her victims was about to get screwed. Elliot looked up just as Casey rounded the desk behind him and she shot him a warning look, alerting him to the scowl on Casey’s face.

“Hey.” Olivia greeted the ADA as she reached her desk.

“Hey.” Casey said uneasily, shifting on her heels as she looked over at Elliot and then back at Olivia. “I have some bad news.”

“Yeah, we kind of got that.” Elliot said, trying to be flippant, but ending with a pained grin. Casey didn’t come down to the precinct to deliver good news. 

Casey ignored him and turned her attention to Olivia. “The Simmonds court date got moved up.”

Olivia furrowed her brow, trying to recall the case. She grabbed at the case files stacked on the corner of her desk, but Casey put a hand on top of the pile, effectively stopping her. 

“It’s not your case.” She jerked her head backwards. “It’s John’s.”

Olivia furrowed her brows. For some reason, she wasn’t connecting the dots. 

Casey raised her eyebrows and stared at Liv. “The trial starts on Monday.” She said pointedly and Olivia groaned as the pieces clicked into place.

“But we’re supposed to leave on Saturday morning.” Olivia said emphatically.

“I know.” 

“Why are they moving it up? Can they do that?” Olivia knew very well that the judge could do whatever he or she wanted. It was more to make a point that it messed with their plans.

“Wesley Simmonds isn’t well, and apparently they’re claiming it’s cruel to keep him locked up any longer than necessary. They’re convinced the jury will find him innocent and thus, he should either be granted bail, or the trial should be moved up. The judge decided to move the trial date.”

Olivia let out a snort. Even though it wasn’t her case, she was familiar with it. There was no way he was getting off, and as far as she was concerned, he was right where he belonged. Another couple of weeks wasn’t going to make a difference.

She and Casey had planned this week-long trip months ago. They had planned the getaway to Bar Harbor to escape the noise of the city and the grind of the job. They had rented a small two-bedroom cottage, and had planned on some quiet days, relaxing dinners mixed with some cocktails. Casey was excited about hiking, which Olivia could do without, but they had also booked a spa appointment, and she had purchased a couple of books, hoping for some quiet afternoons.

“I can’t do anything about it.” Casey said. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Olivia said. No doubt Casey was just as disappointed. “I was just looking forward to getting away.” She said with a sigh. “And it’s just a pain to cancel everything. I suppose we’ll lose our deposits on everything, since it’s just…what? Three days away?”

“Yeah.” Casey said, pressing her lips together. “Unless, hey, if you still want to go, then go. I’ll still pay my half, so you won’t be out any money. I know it won’t be nearly as much fun.” She cracked a smile. “But it would still be nice to get away. I know you could use the break and it would be better than throwing all that money away.” 

“I don’t know.” Olivia tried to imagine herself all alone on the trip. She already spent a lot of time alone; she’d been looking forward to some companionship. 

Casey braced her arms on the edge of Olivia’s desk. “Or, if you don’t want to go alone, you could find someone else to go in my place. I’d still pay my share.”

Elliot had been listening in on the conversation, but neither Casey nor Olivia were paying any attention to him. He hoped they understood that they weren’t exactly talking quietly, so he wasn’t really eavesdropping. “I’ll go.” He offered up, intrigued by the thought of a week in Maine with Olivia. Neither of them reacted, so he assumed they hadn’t heard him. 

“Do you have someone else that you think could get away for a few days?” Casey asked Olivia.

“It’s more than a few days.” Olivia said with a small pout on her face. “And really short notice.”

“I’ll go.” Elliot said, a little louder this time.

Olivia had been leaning back in her chair, and she straightened up, furrowing her brows slightly. “What did you say?” She thought her partner had invited himself along on her girl’s trip, but she couldn’t have heard him correctly.

“I said that I’ll go.” Elliot said with a shrug. “To Maine. With you.” He clarified when Olivia continued to stare at him.

Olivia opened her mouth so say something and then closed it again.

“Unless I’m the one that you’re trying to escape from.” He said, grinning at her. He had been partially joking when he offered, but seeing the look on he face right now, he was warming up to the idea. A trip like this might give him the perfect opportunity to change the dynamic between them a little and dig a little deeper on just where he and Olivia stood. He’d been divorced for six months now, and so far, each of them had stayed carefully in their lanes. He hadn’t expected that, of either of them, but it was hard to change paths when you’d been on the same one for so long and the scenery didn’t change.

Yeah, this might be the perfect opportunity.

“No.” Olivia sputtered, trying to grasp for a response. “I’m not trying to escape from you.” She clarified. “I just…it’s supposed to be a girl’s trip.” She said lamely.

Elliot raised an eyebrow. “Are you doing things that only girls can do?” Elliot teased, looking at Casey and then back at Olivia. He saw the grin on Casey’s face, and was surprised that she was staying out of the conversation.

Olivia rolled her eyes at her partner. “Of course not.” She said quickly. “Well, maybe.” She thought about shopping and the spa. Then she shook her head. “No.”

Elliot got a kick out of her struggle with his offer to go along. She seemed flustered, and he didn’t see her that way very often. He put his hands up in a defensive gesture. “Hey, I don’t go where I’m not wanted.” He said, pressing his lips together.

“Do you have someone else in mind?” Casey asked Olivia.

“And I don’t go if I’m the last resort either.” Elliot added. He saw the exasperated look on Olivia’s face, and he knew she was going to cave. He felt a little bad at pressuring her, but in reality, he knew they’d have a great time. A solid week out of the city sounded wonderful, even if they didn’t get a chance to really talk about anything important.

“You’re not my last choice.” Olivia said. “I just didn’t think this is something you’d be interested in.”

“You mean, a free vacation in Maine?” Elliot laughed. “Yeah…I think that’s something that _anyone_ would be interested in.”

“Fine.” Olivia said, having made up her mind. “I’m just telling you that I’m planning on sleeping in and reading and laying around so it’s not going to be very exciting.” She wanted to set expectations that she wasn’t changing her plans to accommodate his.

“Don’t forget hiking.” Casey added, looking back and forth between Elliot and Olivia.

Olivia glanced up at Casey and saw the small smile on her face. A part of her wondered if the court date really had been moved. Casey had been teasing her about Elliot ever since his divorce had become official, and she wouldn’t put it past her to plan something like this. “We can forget about the hiking.”

“Hiking sounds great!” Elliot said, picking up on Olivia’s lack of enthusiasm. “But we can play it by ear.” He added when he saw the dry look from Olivia. He rubbed his hands together in enthusiasm. “OK, so when do we leave?”

EOEOEOEOEO

It was the end of the day, and Olivia was grabbing her things from her locker when Elliot sidled up next to her. He leaned against the metal with his shoulder and waited for her to acknowledge him. She had been unusually quiet after Casey had left, and he wondered if he had crossed some kind of line. 

Olivia brushed her hair away from her face and closed the locker door, turning her attention to her partner. “Yes?” 

Elliot saw the slight lift in her eyebrow and a bit of exasperation in her tone. He was glad that he’d decided to talk to her. “I just wanted to let you know that if you’d rather go on this trip alone, or with someone else, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to push.”

Olivia was surprised to hear Elliot’s comment, since he really hadn’t given her much of a choice when he had volunteered to take Casey’s place. 

“I know we already spend a lot of time together, so I get it. Maybe you _do_ want some time away.” He was trying to be sincere, but he couldn’t help playing it up a little. He put his hand over his heart, feigning pain. “I’m not going to be hurt if you tell me to give you some space.”

Olivia rolled her eyes at him. “So, are you here to tell me that it’s really okay if I tell you that I don’t want you to come along? Or are you here so I’ll make you feel less guilty about tagging along?” She bit back a smile. She had already come to terms with Elliot tagging along. She just wanted to make him squirm a little.

“Okay, you know me too well.” Elliot dropped his hand. “But seriously…” He let it hang out there.

Olivia sighed. “I don’t really want to go alone.” She confessed. “And I really want to have a relaxing time, so if anyone is going to come with me, it needs to be someone that I know really well and that I’m comfortable with. I don’t want to always be worrying if they want to do this or that or feel like I can’t tell them to leave me alone when I’m being lazy.” She shrugged. “Who knows me better than you?”

“True.” Elliot grinned.

“Plus, having someone around to carry all the heavy bags will be nice.” She smiled, unable to resist teasing him as she brushed by him. She stopped and turned back towards him. “And…” Elliot turned to face her. “You get the smaller bedroom.” She said. “And you’re driving on the first shift.”

Elliot let out a laugh. “I can see how this is going to go.” He knew she was teasing. Or at least he thought she was. He bowed slightly. “Happy to be of service.”

“I’ll remember that.” Olivia said, shooting him a quick smile before she turned and headed for home.

EOEOEOEO

The day of the trip had finally come, and Olivia was crossing her fingers that the trip was going to go smoothly. They were both more than ready to take off and all of her reticence about going with Elliot was gone. He was really excited about the trip and they had both discussed the length of time between this and either of their last vacations.

It had been way too long.

There had been lots of questions from Elliot about the house they were renting, the weather, things to do in the area and driving over the course of the last three days, and she’d had to laugh at his enthusiasm to keep from getting annoyed. He had saved them some money by offering to drive, since she and Casey had been planning on renting a car for the trip. He also claimed he could cook and had promised some awesome breakfasts, so they didn’t have to get up and go right away in the morning. He also hadn’t complained at all about taking the smaller, upstairs bedroom, although sharing a bathroom was going to be interesting.

All in all, Olivia found she was still looking forward to going. And Elliot might be willing to forgo some of the hiking Casey had planned. Some of the trails she’d pointed out to Olivia looked downright treacherous, and she couldn’t imagine actually traversing the trails. She’d been pretty successful in hiding her fear of heights over the years, since it was partly the wide, open spaces and the subsequent potential to fall, that scared her. Standing behind glass on the twentieth floor of a building wasn’t nearly as frightening to her.

Olivia looked at her watch. Elliot had said he’d been there about 9AM, and it was just a few minutes prior to that. She grabbed a large, oversized leather bag and slung it over her shoulder. It weighed a ton, holding her personal belongings, books, headphones, and any other miscellaneous things she’d thought of at the last minute. Her suitcase was thankfully on wheels, and she pulled the handle up, looking around her apartment one last time. She wracked her brain, trying to think of anything she may have forgotten, but nothing came to mind. If she forgot it, she could get it there.

Olivia was locking her door at the moment her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her back pocket and saw a text from Elliot, saying he was downstairs.

Here we go.

The thought popped into her head unbidden and she shook her head, wondering where that had come from. She’d let go of any anxiety with regards to Elliot and the trip, but maybe there was a tiny bit left. She headed to the elevator, and a few minutes later, she was spilling out on to the sidewalk in the early morning sun. Elliot was leaning against the side of his Jeep with his arms folded across his chest. She took in his baggy cargo shorts, his well-worn t-shirt and his Docksiders, also looking like they’d seen better days.

“What?” Elliot asking, pushing himself off the truck and walking towards her.

“Nothing.” Olivia said, shaking her head. “You look like you’re ready for a vacation.”

“Damn right I am.” Elliot took her roller bag from her hand and wheeled it over to the back of the Jeep.

“I didn’t really mean you have to carry my bags.” Olivia said, watching as Elliot hoisted it up and tucked it in the area behind the last seat. 

“I promised full service.” He said, giving her a wink. He looked around. “Is that it? Or do you have more bags upstairs?” He teased. The way Olivia had been explaining her issues with trying to pack for five days, a mix of weather, and casual versus clothes that were appropriate to wear out, he had imagined her struggling down the stairs with three suitcases. 

“That’s it.” Olivia said, peering in the back of the Jeep to see how many bags he had. She just saw one medium sized suitcase, which at this point, she assumed was crammed with shorts and t-shirts. 

“Hmm.” Elliot said, somewhat surprised. He pointed at the bag on her shoulder. “What’s happening with that?”

“It’s staying with me.” Olivia eyed the open top of the Jeep. “Are you going to put the top on? We’re going to be on the freeway…”

“Don’t want to mess up your hair?” Elliot winked at her again, giving himself permission to look at the way her hair curled around her shoulders. He wasn’t used to the look, and he wondered if she had actually curled it or if that was what her hair looked like naturally. 

“No.” Olivia scowled at him slightly. “I just don’t want to be blown out of the car or get bugs in my teeth.”

Elliot rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry princess. I already planned on putting it on.” Which was 100% true. He’d just been running a little late this morning and hadn’t had a chance.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at the princess remark, surprised to hear it. 

Elliot caught it and he just smirked. He knew exactly what that look meant. But he didn’t care. He wanted to have some fun this week. He wanted them to let their guard down a little. So, he was going to push her a little…maybe a lot. “Let it go Liv.” He teased, already pulling the canvas out of the back of the Jeep. “Wanna help? Grab that side.”

They started to work together to attach the cover on the Jeep. He stole some glances in her direction as they worked, taking in the dark washed jeans that hugged her hips and the white t-shirt paired with a black cardigan. It was just an average, white t-shirt, but she looked damned good in it.

“Am I doing something wrong?” Olivia stopped what she was doing as she caught Elliot’s stare.

“What?” Elliot asked, confused by her question. “Oh. No.” He shook his head. “Carry on.”

Ten minutes later, the were both inside the Jeep. Olivia donned her sunglasses, and Elliot followed suit.

“Ready?” Elliot asked, glancing over at his partner.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

With that, they headed out, weaving through the Manhattan streets in search of some peace and quiet.

EOEOEOEO

The trip had gone quickly so far, but conversation had been limited. The Jeep was noisy, so they’d listened to music and the hum of the road and watched the scenery as it went by. They’d decided to stop outside of Boston to grab a late lunch, cutting the roughly eight-hour trip in half.

Elliot had pulled into what appeared to be a sports bar, which was fine with Olivia. She hadn’t had breakfast, and a burger or sandwich sounded good. As they slid into the booth, the waiter was there with water, and Elliot quickly ordered them two beers.

Olivia raised an eyebrow.

“We’re on vacation.” Elliot said, by way of explanation.

“I’m not objecting to the beers. I just…I can order for myself.” Olivia said. She wasn’t actually annoyed, but it was fun to give him a hard time.

“Noted.” Elliot said. He slid both menus towards Olivia. “How about you order lunch then.”

Olivia pushed his menu back towards him with a roll of her eyes.

Elliot laughed and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “I think maybe we need to lay some ground rules for this trip.”

“Ground rules?”

“Yeah.” Elliot gave her a slight nod.

“Such as?”

“I don’t know…” Elliot said. “Like…you can only roll your eyes at me twice a day?”

Olivia caught herself before she did it again and smirked at him. “I can’t help it sometimes. You know that you earn every single one.” The waiter brought their beers and they both ordered a burger before he left again. 

“OK, but in all seriousness.” Elliot said. “This is a vacation, so rule number one, no talking about work.”

Olivia nodded slowly and took a sip of her beer. “Okay. That’s a good one.” She had been skeptical of any rules, but maybe he had a point. “Except I promised to bring something back for John, so I might have to ask your opinion about that.”

“That’s not talking about work.” Elliot confirmed. “And since work is off the table, it means we’re not partners. We’re just good friends.”

“We are good friends.” Olivia said. “Aren’t we?”

“Yes, exactly.” Elliot said. He wanted to adopt a more casual mood and remove the formality of who they were at work. “What else.”

Olivia thought about it for a moment. “I think we also have to agree that we don’t have to spend every waking minute together.” Olivia said. “If you want to go somewhere and I don’t, I’m going to say so. And you should too.”

Elliot nodded. “OK. And if you want some time alone, you need to tell me that too.” He was used to being surrounded by a houseful of people, except for this past year, so he didn’t crave any time alone. But he knew Olivia might, and she may not want to tell him.

“Or…if either of us wants to spend some time with someone else.” Olivia winked. She saw the look of surprise on Elliot’s face, even though he tried to recover quickly.

“Uh. Yeah.” Olivia’s comment made Elliot wonder if she and Casey had planned on going out and looking for some companionship. Was that what women did on a girl’s trip? He didn’t know and he didn’t want to know. “Whatever.” He tried to shrug it off, and push the thought from his mind, but he was struggling. He looked up and saw a small smile on Olivia’s face and she quickly took a sip of her beer. “What else?” Elliot asked, wanting to change the subject.

“I don’t think we need a lot of other rules.” Olivia said, leaning back as the burgers were delivered. “Or we can decide on any others as we go.”

“OK.” Elliot agreed. “But just so you know, I’m a lot of fun on vacation. You’re not going to _want_ any time alone or want to spend time with anyone else.” 

He was going to make sure of it.

They finished up their burgers and Olivia excused herself to use the bathroom before they hit the road again. When she came out and walked across the bar, he took in her freshly glossed lips and the aviator sunglasses pushed up on the top of her head. He was struck once again by how damned beautiful she was. He thought about the week ahead and how he was going to start to break down the barriers and let her know just how he felt. He knew he was going to have to take it slowly, and he hoped that his instincts were right, and she felt the same way about him. 

Elliot saw a couple of other men at the bar glance in her direction, and he was up and out of the booth to meet her midway across the room. He handed her the keys and fell in step with her.

“Your turn to drive.” 

EOEOEOEO

Elliot relaxed into the seat, happy that Olivia was driving the last four hours or so to Bar Harbor. He’d eaten his burger and the last third of Olivia’s, and with the two beers he’d had, he was feeling sleepy. They had just made their way through mid-afternoon Boston traffic and he heard Olivia sigh as they freeway opened up in front of them. He shifted in his seat to face her a little more. She was focused on the road, and it gave him a few minutes to observe her without feeling creepy.

“I like your hair like that.”

Olivia glanced over at him but didn’t comment before she turned her attention back to the road.

“Is it naturally that curly?”

“I wouldn’t call it curly.” Olivia had just taken the time to put a few waves in; time she didn’t usually have. “But no. I did it this morning.”

“I’ve just never seen it…like that.”

“Yeah, well, I’m usually just getting up and running into work. I don’t have time for that.”

“Yeah, well…I like it.”

Olivia laughed. “Noted.”

Olivia could feel Elliot staring at her, and she shot him another sideways glance. “Do I have something on my face?” She reached up and brushed her hand along her cheek. “Why are you staring at me?”

“Just admiring the scenery.” 

Olivia turned her attention back to the road. First, he had commented on her hair, and now was staring at her with a self-satisfied grin on his face. Was Elliot actually flirting with her? Or was he just trying to set a more relaxed mood for the week? “Yeah, well, the scenery is better out the other window.” 

Elliot chuckled, please that his comment had obviously flustered her a little. He shifted in his seat a little, so he was looking back at the front windshield. “I guess I shouldn’t distract the driver if I want to get there in one piece.”

“Or have the driver drop you off somewhere in New Hampshire.” Olivia fired back. She wasn’t sure who this fun, flirty Elliot was, but it was throwing her for a loop. While it was kind of nice, it was also uncharted territory for them, and they had a whole week ahead of them. 

Elliot leaned in towards Olivia and gave her his best puppy dog look. “You wouldn’t drop me in New Hampshire, would you Liv?” 

Olivia looked over at him and rolled her eyes, pushing him back to his side of the car. “Don’t tempt me.”

Elliot made a mark in the air with his finger. “That’s one.”

“One what?” Olivia asked, glancing over at him again before looking back at the road.

“Eye roll.” Elliot explained. “I said you could have two per day. And I’m giving you a break since I’m only counting since we made the rules.”

“I think we’re going to have to revisit the rules.” She said with a small laugh, wondering what the hell she’d gotten herself into with this trip.


	2. Pushing the Limits Chapter 2

There had been a major accident that had extended their drive by almost an hour, so by the time they drove over the narrow strip of land that connected Mount Desert Island from the mainland, the sun was already dipping low in the sky. Olivia took a left and steered towards the Bar Harbor downtown, deciding she wanted to see get a glimpse of the town before heading deeper into the woods where their cottage was located. She didn’t have to go far before several small restaurants and shops started to appear. There were plenty of people dotting the sidewalks, and she assumed people were going to dinner at this hour.

“Look for Eagle Lake Road.” Olivia said, peering over the steering wheel as she tried to watch for pedestrians and look at the road signs. Almost as soon as she’d said it, they came upon. The main road appeared to end and dump into a more residential area. Eagle Lake Road veered to the right and then seemed to curve sharply, and to the left was more of the town. The trees were already casting long shadows, and Olivia was worried about finding the place.

“Let’s find the cottage and explore the town later.”

“We have a week to explore.” Elliot said. “Let’s go.” He took the printed map from Olivia as she turned right and headed towards the tree line. The road curved and crossed over a brook several times, and then they hit a solid line of evergreens and a sign indicating they were in the Cadillac Mountain Wilderness Region. 

“I read about this.” Elliot said. “Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the east coast of the U.S. We’ll have to hike to the top one day.” He looked over at Olivia. “It’s supposed to have a fantastic view!”

Olivia glanced over at Elliot, surprised that he had done some research on the area. She assumed he was the kind that was just ‘along for the ride’, happy to do whatever Olivia has planned or they stumbled across. “Well, aren’t you an encyclopedia of information.” She commented, leaning over the steering wheel slightly as she looked for turns off the main road. “What’s the name we’re looking for?” She slowed down as the narrow, two lane road twisted through the trees. The sunlight didn’t reach as far in here, and dusk was already making it harder to see. The headlights illuminated a sign that said Eagle Lake and they could see the expanse of the water as the trees broke to their left. Darkness was falling quickly, and it made the lake look inky black. Olivia felt an unvoluntary shudder as the isolation of this place hit her.

“Mason Drive.” Elliot said. “It’s not too far up here, on the right.”

Olivia slowed and a few minutes later, they saw their turn. She turned onto the road and as her headlights swept across the tar, she saw three deer on the side of the road. She pressed the brake quickly, and the Jeep shuddered to a stop. The deer looked up quickly at the motion and froze, and Olivia found she was holding her breath. The only deer she’d seen were those lying dead on the side of the Henry Hudson.

She watched as they slowly made their way across the road and disappeared into the trees. 

“Yeah, I should have told you to watch out for deer. We don’t want to hit one.” Elliot said, watching the spot where they disappeared. “Remember, if you see one, there are more. So always stop.” He saw Olivia give him a funny look, as if she wanted to challenge him on his comment. But he knew she wouldn’t. She was way out of her element here. A city girl through and through. “I can’t believe the two of you picked a spot out here instead of more in town.”

“We wanted some peace and quiet.” Olivia said as she started inching the Jeep forward again. Olivia would have opted for a place in town actually, but Casey had picked out this spot, and she had agreed. They saw some metal signs with numbers on them, and Elliot explained they were signs for the fire and police, so they could find the houses quickly. They hadn’t gone very far with they saw the number for their rental spot and Olivia took a left on to a gravel drive. The trees closed in more closely here for a few hundred yards and then opened up into a clearing. A small, white cottage appeared, nestled in the trees and Olivia smiled. “That’s adorable!” She said as she came to a stop, peering through the windshield.

Elliot raised an eyebrow. He didn’t think he’d ever heard the word adorable out of Olivia before, but he bit back his comment. 

The cottage was small, but someone had anticipated their arrival, and light was pouring from a couple of windows, making it seem very inviting. There were French doors that seemed to be the main entrance, and a light illuminated a porch area. She could see some chairs and a small table, and already identified that as a potential spot for morning coffee. 

Olivia and Elliot got out of the car at the same time, and Olivia let out a small sound of surprise at the cold air. “Wow. The temperature dropped.” She pulled her cardigan more closely around her.

Elliot walked around the front of the Jeep and looked back at Olivia. “Is the key under the mat?” Elliot asked. “Or…”

“She gave me a key code.” Olivia said. “Well, she had me set a key code.” They both approached the door and sure enough, a keypad had been installed on the door. Olivia punched in her badge number, something she’d be sure to remember, and she heard Elliot chuckle as he watched. 

“So much for nothing work related.”

Olivia ignored the comment and pushed open the door, with Elliot right on her heels. It was only slightly warmer inside, and Elliot closed the door behind the door behind them, nearly running into her as she stopped to take in the space. The cottage wasn’t large, as she’d known, and she as reminded of the layout from the pictures Casey had shown her. To her right was a cozy living room space, with a small loveseat on the back wall, facing the front of the home. On the end wall, there was recliner with a small shelf next to it, loaded down with books and some games. Directly to her right, and across from the loveseat, was an old drop leaf table, loaded with a cable box, Wi-Fi router and a phonograph, and a television mounted on the wall above it. To her left was a wooden table and four wooden chairs, centered in front of the windows facing the front. Directly ahead of her was a metal, spiral staircase that she knew led to the second, small bedroom. From the layout of the house and the photos she’d seen, she knew that the half room must have been the attic. Directly to the left of the staircase was a short hallway that she knew led to the main bedroom and bathroom, and in the kitchen was tucked in the back corner of the house. All in all, it was small, but cozy. More then enough for what she and Casey had planned for the week. 

“This is quaint.” Elliot said, looking around. “Is there a fireplace or a stove?” He walked into the living room area, but he knew something like that would be hard to miss. He rubbed his hands together. There had been a chill in the air when he’d stepped outside of the Jeep, but it seemed almost colder inside.

Olivia found the light switch by the door, and an overhead light in the living room flickered on. The next switch lit the dining area, and she saw a sheaf of papers lying on the table. She also spotted the thermostat on the wall near the stairs. “Here.” She ratcheted the temperature up a few degrees and was rewarded with the sound of the furnace kicking into gear. She turned back towards Elliot, wrapping her arms around herself. “That should take the chill out.” She said, walking back to where he was standing. 

Elliot put his arms out and grabbed her lightly by the shoulders, tugging her towards him slightly. “If not, we an always rely on body heat to keep us warm.” He teased as he winked at her.

Olivia pressed her hands against his chest, surprised by the way he was pulling her into an embrace. “I brought warm clothes.” 

Elliot didn’t release her though, pulling her back towards him with a small laugh. “Relax Liv.” He said, keeping some distance between her body and his as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “I don’t bite.”

They both jumped when there was a knock on the door, and Olivia took a quick step back quickly, nonsensically feeling a stab of guilt.

“Who’s that?” Elliot asked.

“I don’t know.” Olivia shrugged as she headed towards the door. 

Elliot pushed past her, getting to the door first. They were in the middle of nowhere, and he felt a protective surge. He heard Olivia say his name in protest, but he was already opening the door. There was an older man standing on the porch with a smile on his face, looking affable, and Elliot relaxed. 

“Didn’t know if you folks were gonna make ‘er.” He said, shifting on his feet as he smiled at “I’m Joe Johnson.” He said, putting out his hand. 

Elliot shook the man’s hand, wondering if this guy was some sort of welcoming committee or what, when he saw him peer over his shoulder at Olivia. 

“You Miss Novak?” He asked.

Elliot opened the door more widely as Olivia wedged herself in front of him. “No. But I’m Olivia Benson.” Casey had done all the legwork, but Olivia had provided her name on the contract as well. “Casey had something come up, so she couldn’t make it.” She saw Joe look at Elliot and then back at her. “This is my friend, Elliot.” She swore she could have seen a slight look of disapproval on his face, but maybe she imagined because he was smiling now.

“Well, me and the missus are just a half mile down the road here.” He pointed past the cottage. “In the main house. I sent a bunch of information about the cottage. Things you need to know about the place and things to do. That sorta thing. I assume you got all that?”

Olivia nodded, trying to think of all the things Casey had told her about the place. “Yeah.”

“OK. Good.” Joe nodded. “The wife put together some info on restaurants and such and left it on the table there.” He motioned in the direction of the table. “Our phone number is there too, so if you have any questions or any problems…” He let the words trail off and just looked at them. 

“OK. Sounds great.” Olivia said. “I appreciate you checking in on us.”

“Just want to make sure people don’t have an issue with the keypad or have any questions.” He said. “Don’t worry, you won’t see us again.” He chuckled. “Not unless you need us.”

Olivia smiled. When Joe had shown up, she was a little worried that he was going to be one of those people that would be pestering them…checking in on them…off and on, ruining the tranquility she was looking for. She realized now that he was just sizing up his tenants, and she supposed she could understand that. They probably didn’t want to have a bunch of young kids show up, or people that were going to trash the place. It also made her want to tell him they were cops, but sometimes that brought a different level of interest. She would just have to assume they looked respectable enough.

“That sounds great. Thanks for renting us this place. We really haven’t had a chance to look around, but it looks perfect to me.”

“I just restocked some wood for the firepit in the back. Just make sure the fire’s out before you leave or go to bed.” He waved a hand in the air. “I’m blabbering. You know all that.” He nodded his head. “Well, have a good night.” He waved his hand again and turned, walking off the porch and down the drive. 

Olivia and Elliot walked out on to the small porch and watched him disappear around the trees in the direction he had indicated earlier. 

Olivia wrapped her arms around herself again. “I’m glad he didn’t show up much later.” She said. “It would have startled me if I had happened to just see him walking out of the woods or had him knock on the door at ten tonight.”

Elliot laughed. He had a vision of Olivia tackling Joe before he could even explain who he was. “He looked pretty harmless.” Elliot said. He flexed his arms. “Plus, I’m here to protect you.”

Olivia rolled her eyes, but the moment she did it, she bit down on her lip. Luckily, Elliot hadn’t caught it. “Yeah, yeah.” Olivia said, dismissing him. “Are we going to unload the car or what?”

They both started walking towards the car. “Let’s unload the car but unpack later. I’m ready for diner.” As they walked, Elliot wondered just how closely Olivia had been paying attention to the details Casey had provided. “Did you know this was some kind of guest house or second home on the property?” Elliot asked. 

“I remember her saying something about that. I guess I didn’t realize they were so close.” She didn’t remember that someone else was on property at all, but she’d pretty much left the details to Casey. As long as she had a bed and there was a coffeemaker, she was good.

“Hmmm.” Elliot chuckled. They had been slammed all summer, and he wasn’t sure when Olivia and Casey had booked this spot, but he was going to assume Casey had been the one making the plans and Olivia had been only half-listening to the details. Elliot looked at his watch and saw it was almost 7:30. They were almost completely immersed in darkness; in ten more minutes it would be completely black. “Let’s hustle. I wonder if this town rolls it’s sidewalks up at night.”

Olivia nodded. They unpacked quickly and dumped their bags in the living room. Five minutes later, they were heading back the way they’d come with Elliot behind the wheel. Olivia had grabbed the flyers and pamphlets off the table so she could sort through them and find a place for dinner on the way back to town.

“All of these places close at 9 or 10.” Olivia said rifling through the papers. 

Elliot looked at the clock on the dash. “It’s s’kay. Just pick one and we’ll have something quick.” It had been a long day of driving and he knew that once he got some food in his stomach, he’d want to crash.

Ten minutes later, he was sitting across from Olivia in some placed called the Thirsty Whale. It was just about what he’d expected. A little bit authentic Maine and a little bit of catering to the tourists. It didn’t matter, because a few minutes later, he had a beer in his hand and a Reuben on the way. He lifted his beer and Olivia did the same.

“To sleeping in, fresh air, night skies and sunsets.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear the sentiment from Elliot. “That’s kind of poetic.” She clinked glasses with him and took a sip of her beer. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Layers Liv.” Elliot said taking drink from his own glass. “Like an onion.”

“You’re saying there are things I don’t know about you?” Olivia shook her head. They’d been partners and friends for too long. She was pretty certain she knew him pretty well. What you saw is what you got when it came to Elliot.

“Absolutely.” Elliot leaned back against the bench, shifting so he could rest his arm along the wooden back. “Just like I’m sure there are things I don’t know about you.”

Olivia shifted uncomfortably, wondering what Elliot was getting at. “Are we going to sit around, braid each other’s hair, try on each other’s clothes and tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets?” Olivia asked with a smirk.

Elliot leaned forward. “Do you have deep, dark secrets Olivia?” He raised one brow, keeping his eyes trained on hers. He watched Olivia squirm slightly, and he thought about his own unspoken secrets. She held his eyes for a moment and then they dropped to her beer. He decided to give her a break. “My hair is kind of hard to braid, so I guess you’re off the hook.” He said, and he saw her gaze shoot back up to his, relief evident in her features. 

“True.” Olivia said, thankful that he didn’t press her any farther. “I swear though, if I catch you trying on my clothes…”

EOEOEOEOEO

They were both wiped when they finished up their food and beers, and they were the last ones out of the bar as they closed at ten. 

“I hope the bed is comfortable, because I’m going to sleep until noon tomorrow.” Olivia said as they turned into the driveway and then up to the house. 

“Amen.” Elliot said. 

Olivia watched as Elliot punched in her badge number, feeling an odd bit of intimacy about it, which was completely unwarranted, but there, nonetheless. Elliot pushed the door open and flipped on the lights and was happy to feel it had warmed up in the cottage.

He grabbed Olivia’s suitcase and headed back towards her bedroom before she could accuse him of being overly chivalrous. By the time he hard her objection, he had traversed the short hallway and made his way into her bedroom. The space in the room was largely consumed by the queen-sized bed and a small nightstand, but the room was neatly appointed, and the bed looked comfortable. He dropped her suitcase on the bed and turned as she entered the room. “This looks great.” He said, realizing the door was between he and Olivia. “So, good night.” It felt weird, as if he should hug her or kiss her on the cheek or something, but she moved out of the way before he could do either, standing at the end of the bed.

“Night.” Olivia said, watching as Elliot continued to stand in her room.

“I’ll be sure to be quiet in the morning if I’m up before you.”

Olivia nodded, wrapping her cardigan around her body again. “Sounds good.”

“OK. Well, good night.” Elliot left her room and went back out to the living room. He made sure the front door was locked and then looked at the spiral staircase. He wondered if he was going to be able to fit his bulk and his suitcase up the narrow stairs. He looked up and realized it was completely dark up there. He looked for a light switch by the stairs but didn’t see one. He let out a sigh, lifted his bag in front of him and worked his way up. “Good thing I only have to do this twice a day.” He muttered, finally reaching the attic space. 

When he reached the top, he felt around for a switch and thankfully found one, flooding the room with light. He set down his bag and looked around, furrowing his brow as he took in the space. It had absolutely been an attic that they had finished off at one point, with a dormer window at each end of the room. There was a loveseat tucked into one corner, but it had boxes stacked on top of it, filling the entire seat. The small table next to it was piled with knick-knacks, and there were more boxes on the floor surrounding it. He saw a single mattress and box spring, but they were both leaning up against the wall, with the headboard braced against it. There was a small table and chair beneath the window on the other end, and he saw some pillows and an old quilt piled on the chair. To top it off, there was a ladder and a toolbox, and a couple of tarps piled in front of that, as if some project were about to get underway. “What the hell?” He muttered, turning back to the stairs and then back to the room. He wondered, for a moment, if he had missed a bedroom somewhere, but he knew that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t believe that Olivia or Casey would have slept up here, and he wondered if they’d been planning on sharing the room downstairs. That didn’t make any sense, as certainly Olivia would have raised that issue when they’d discussed his substitution for Casey.

Elliot scrubbed his hand over his face and then looked around the room again, wondering briefly how they’d even gotten this stuff up here, while he considered his options. It was pretty clear that they weren’t supposed to be using this space, although he wasn’t sure of the reasons. 

So, his options were to sleep on the floor or find someplace else to sleep. He was so tired, that he thought for tonight, he probably could just camp out on the floor. But he knew that waking up in the morning, he would be stiff and sore. So, that was off the table.

He thought about Olivia sinking into that nice, soft bed and he wanted to groan because it sounded so wonderful. But sharing a bed with Olivia, while tempting, was off the table. She would kill him. He looked at the loveseat piled with boxes, and thought it was about the same length as the loveseat downstairs. There was no way his six-foot frame was going to fit on either of those. The recliner might be an option, or…he could move some of this crap out of the way and try to carve out some space to lay the box spring and mattress. That was probably his best option, and if he wasn’t supposed to sleep up here, he could find out the reasons why tomorrow. 

Elliot walked over to where the toolbox and ladder were sitting on the floor, listening to the creak of the floorboards as he walked. He certainly hoped it wasn’t a problem with the floor, and he was about to go crashing through the ceiling below. He lifted the ladder, but there was really no place to maneuver, and again he wondered how they’d even gotten it up here. He realized he was going to have to try to get the mattress and box spring out from behind it while leaving the ladder in place, meaning the only open spot was going to be near the top of the stairs. He set the ladder back down and it clattered against the metal headboard, making a ruckus in the quiet space. He stopped, listening for sounds downstairs, but he heard none.

Elliot lifted the headboard and shifted it to the side to try to create some space, but ended up connecting with one of the walls, wincing at the noise. He was getting annoyed, so he reached for the box spring and tried to pull it around but there was just no space to maneuver and he let it go and it fell back against the wall.

Fuck! He cursed softly to himself. He didn’t have the patience for this right now, and pretty soon, Olivia was going to come nosing around and ask him what the hell he was doing. He stepped over the toolbox and tarps and reached for the quilt and pillow but lost his balance when he reached too far and he went crashing down, toppling the chair as he landed on his hands and knees. He was just trying to extricate himself when he heard noise on the metal stairs. Ten seconds later, Olivia’s head popped up between the railing.

“What’s going on?” She asked, slightly out of breath. “Are you okay?” She saw Elliot sitting amidst a mess of tools, tarps, blankets, and furniture. She climbed a few more stairs. 

“What’s going on up here?” She asked as she surveyed the small space. “Isn’t this supposed to be a bedroom?” She climbed the last few stairs and stood looking at Elliot with her hands on her hips. “Where’s the bed?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Elliot said, pushing himself to his feet. “It looks like it’s pushed up against the wall there.” He said, pointing to the mattress. “But this space clearly isn’t being used so…” He let it hang there, waiting for her to fill in the details. “I didn’t miss a bedroom downstairs, did I?”

Olivia shook her head. “No. I…” She honestly didn’t know what was happening right now. This had clearly been advertised as a two-bedroom cottage. “Maybe I missed some details.” She admitted. She had really only browsed the emails Casey had sent because she had planned on Casey being there. There didn’t seem to be a need to memorize all the details. 

Elliot sighed. He grabbed the quilt and a pillow off the floor. “Well, I need to get some sleep. I’m going to try out the loveseat or the recliner.” He was grumpy now. Not with her, just with the situation.

“You can’t sleep on either of those.” Olivia said. “Can we…” She looked at the single mattress, wondering if they could drag that downstairs somehow, but she saw the look on Elliot’s face…the look that said he’d reached his limit…and she didn’t want to suggest another frustrating task for the night. “Just…come sleep in the bedroom.” She couldn’t even believe she was suggesting that, and she was very careful to make sure she didn’t ask him to sleep with her. “Just for tonight and then we’ll figure something out.” She said hastily. 

Elliot seemed to consider her offer, but he didn’t say no right away, which was kind of intriguing. She expected him to flat our refuse, and now that he was considering it, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. It would be innocent enough. She knew that, but it still seemed odd. “It’ll be like we’re sleeping in the cribs. In bunks right across from each other. Just a little closer.” She wasn’t sure if she was saying that for herself or for Elliot, but either way, he was obviously waiting for her to work through it or rescind her suggestion. He stood in place, clutching the quilt and pillow, and she straightened up. “It’s fine. Just tonight.”

Olivia turned and headed back down the stairs, wondering how she was possibly going to be able to sleep with Elliot Stabler in bed next to her.


	3. Pushing the Limits Chapter 3

Elliot followed Olivia to the top of the stairs, but he didn’t follow her as she made her way down. He felt slightly awkward and a little bit guilty. He’d spent the better part of the past week thinking about how to get closer to Olivia this week. He’d spent days figuring out how to work around to the subject of how he felt, to help her see there could be a future for them, and to hopefully share a life and a bed. So, following her to her bedroom right now, even though he had absolutely no intention of getting anywhere close to her tonight, made him feel like he’d skipped to the end. Thus, the stab of guilt.

He wondered if he could lay next to her all night and not think about how much he wanted to kiss her…and more. 

He wondered if there was even a remote chance that she would be thinking the same thing.

_“It’ll be like we’re sleeping in the cribs. In bunks right across from each other. Just a little closer.”_

_“It’s fine. Just tonight.”_

He smiled, thinking about the lines she had thrown out. He thought she very well may be having similar thoughts. But he wasn’t going to push her. He knew with Olivia, moving things forward slowly was going to be the key. He was going to have to play his hand a little, but leave her space to react, retreat, or advance.

Elliot turned and grabbed the quilt and the extra pillow so that at the very least, he could sleep on top of the blankets and cover up with the quilt. He worked his way down the stairs, cursing the twist of it that made it difficult for his height and bulk, and that made it hard to get anything down the stairs. It confirmed that he’d never get that mattress down here.

He glanced at the loveseat, thinking perhaps he had misremembered the size, but he hadn’t. He turned back towards the small hallway, noting a light in the bathroom and the bedroom, illuminating the space. He listened for any sounds, but heard none, so he moved towards the bedroom door.

When he reached the doorway he paused, clutching the quilt and pillow in his arms. He saw Olivia sitting on the edge of the bed. He noticed that she had donned a large, gray cardigan, effectively covering up what she’d been wearing for bed. It made him pause, trying to figure out how he felt about her feeling self-conscious around him. He’d never known her to be that way before, but then again, he wasn’t used to seeing her stripped down like that, unless it was a quick change in the locker room. 

In those moments, he always looked away, even though she’d never asked him to give her any privacy. He hadn’t wanted to be tempted to stare.

He wondered if he’d stared just minutes before in the loft and if that had made her uncomfortable. He didn’t think he had because he’d been pretty pre-occupied with the situation. But he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t noticed the way she was dressed when she’d come upstairs to check on him. He’d definitely noted the thin material and spaghetti straps of her tank top and the hip hugging leggings she was wearing. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Elliot asked. “It seems…” He didn’t have a word for how he was feeling, or how he might presume she felt, so he found himself shrugging and letting it lie there.

Olivia rolled her eyes, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. “Let’s just get some sleep, and we can sort this out tomorrow.” She didn’t want to think about how her body seemed to be acutely aware that Elliot was going to be sleeping mere inches for her. Or how she wondered if he may accidentally move a little closer in the night. Or even if she’d wake up in the morning with his body draped around hers.

Elliot watched as Olivia slid her legs beneath the sheets and pulled the comforter up, cardigan and all. She quickly rolled on to her side, meaning her back towards him when he crawled in on the other side. He knew for a fact that she didn’t sleep on her side from the numerous times he’d had to wake her in the cribs, but her pose didn’t surprise him. He ducked back out of the bedroom and turned off the light in the bathroom, and then hit the light switch as he re-entered the bedroom. There was enough moonlight coming through the slats in the blinds to keep him from injuring himself as he rounded the bed. He shifted the covers over slightly, so he wouldn’t pull them off Olivia when he climbed on top and he tossed the pillow down, on top of the one already there.

“You need an extra pillow?” Elliot asked.

“No.”

Elliot could hear tension in her terse response. He climbed on to the bed as gingerly as he could, but he saw Olivia’s body shift back slightly as he bowed the mattress. She rolled back as he settled on it, and then he spread the quilt out over his body.

“What are you doing?” Olivia asked, rolling over slightly to look at him in the dark.

“I’m just getting situated.”

Olivia tugged at the blankets. “Are you laying on top of the blankets?” 

“Yeah.”

“That’s not going to work.” She said, annoyed. “Then I’m going to be fighting with this all night.” She said as she tugged at them again. “Just stop with the chivalry and climb under the blankets.” She rolled over. “I’m not worried about my honor tonight.” She said, trying to make light of the ridiculous situation.

Elliot was surprised by her choice of words, and he knew she was trying to keep things casual. He told himself to leave it alone, but of course he couldn’t help himself. “Maybe I’m not that trustworthy.” He said, lowering the timber of his voice. “Did you ever think about that?”

Olivia was shocked by his comment. If he’d had more to drink, she would think it was the alcohol talking, but obviously the darkness had made him brazen. She thought about grabbing his quilt and marching out to sleep on the loveseat herself, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that he’d shaken her. “Touch me and you’ll find out what I think.” She said with a voice that was cool and composed. But she was anything but. She tugged at the blankets again and rolled into herself a little more. Her heartbeat had accelerated with the tone of Elliot’s voice and she wondered what the hell she’d been thinking about, inviting him into the bed so casually.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Practical.

Innocent.

Elliot rolled over onto his back and let out a small laugh. “Night Liv.” 

EOEOEOEO

The last thing Elliot remembered was wondering how in the hell he was going to fall asleep when all he could smell was the scent that he would forever associate with Olivia. And then, he was waking up and could see the first rays of the morning sun streaming through the blinds. He was in roughly the same position in which he’d laid down and he scrubbed a hand down his face as he tried to clear the sleep from his eyes. He rolled his head to his side, but he’d already known that Olivia was gone.

He wondered when she’d left.

Elliot rolled over on his side and slid a hand to the spot where she’d been sleeping. The sheets were cool to the touch. The clock on the nightstand on her side said 6:48AM, and he groaned. He had really planned on sleeping in and had wanted her to do the same. He really hoped he wouldn’t find her curled up on the loveseat in the living room because of something he’d said.

When Elliot climbed out from beneath the covers, there was a chill in the air. He grabbed the extra quilt and wrapped it around himself and shuffled to the door, opening it as quietly as he could before heading into the bathroom. When he was done there, he wrapped himself in the quilt again and headed back down the hallway, but seconds later, he smelled coffee, and he knew Olivia wasn’t sleeping.

Elliot emerged from the hallway, but he didn’t see her in the living room or dining room. He headed into the kitchen but that was empty too. There was an empty mug sitting on the counter, which he presumed she’d set out for him, and he pulled himself a cup of coffee, nearly draining the small pot. He took a drink, appreciating the warmth and the strength of it. Much better than the swill they drank at the precinct.

Unsure of where Olivia was, he headed towards the door. The moment he got close, he could see the porch through the glass, and saw Olivia wrapped up in a blanket on one of the chairs. He opened the door quietly.

“Shhh.” Olivia said, almost immediately. 

Elliot’s eyes followed where her fingers were pointing, and he saw three does on the far side of the driveway, near the edge of the woods. They were nibbling at the grass, and with the morning sun streaming through the trees, it looked idyllic.

Elliot stepped carefully onto the wooden porch, and he saw their ears perk up, but they didn’t stop their morning feast. He closed the door as much as he could, and then stepped softly and sat down in the vacant chair adjacent to Olivia. “Good morning.” He whispered as he set his mug on the small table. 

“Morning.” Olivia said quietly. She took a sip of coffee and wrapped her hands around the mug. 

Elliot was listening for the inflection in her voice and trying to read her expressions to gauge her mood this morning. Even though he’d tried to give her as much space as possible, he wasn’t sure how she felt about the sleeping arrangements the night before. But she was distracted by the view, and he couldn’t read her. “It’s a little cold out here.” The wooden decking was cold against his bare feet and he could see a plume of his breath when he spoke.

“It feels good.” Olivia whispered. “The cabin was stuffy.

Elliot wanted to tell her that maybe she should have taken off the heavy cardigan, but he held that comment. He didn’t want to have a conversation on the reasons why she chose to wear it to bed.

“I was fine.” 

“You give off so much body heat.” Olivia said as she glanced over at him. “It’s like sleeping next to a blast furnace. I kept waking up and I saw you covered up with the comforter and that heavy quilt.” She motioned to the quilt he had wrapped around him now. “And I couldn’t imagine you weren’t roasting.”

Elliot shrugged. “I guess I’m used to it.” He remembered how Kathy used to press her cold feet against his legs to steal some heat, but he pushed the memory away. “It’s an asset on cold winter nights.” He teased.

“Yeah, well it’s not going to be that cold this week.”

Elliot chuckled and grabbed his mug off the table, looking back out at the deer. They had lifted their heads at the sound and started moving farther away.

Olivia was a bit thrown by Elliot’s small comments. They were just a little bit suggestive, nothing overt, but she wasn’t used to this flirty Elliot. She wasn’t sure how she should react, or how he thought she would react. Or maybe how he hoped she would react? She needed to get them back on firm ground. 

“I couldn’t believe how quickly you fell asleep. You laid down and you were out, almost immediately.”

“I told you I was tired.” He said. “That’s why I told you that you didn’t have to worry about your honor.” He chuckled.

Olivia glanced over at him sharply, but Elliot was drinking his coffee, seemingly comfortable with the more than casual banter. “Did you know that you snore?” Olivia tossed back at him before he could make any more comments.

Elliot grinned as he took a sip of his rapidly cooling coffee. “I think you’ve told me that once or twice before.” They’d had the occasion to catch some shuteye in the cribs at the same time, and she had certainly mentioned it. It was obvious that she hadn’t slept well, and he felt a little bad about that. “I’m sorry you didn’t sleep well. But it’s still early. Why don’t you go crawl back in bed, and I’ll make breakfast when you wake up?” Elliot offered.

“We don’t have any food.”

“Small details.” Elliot had forgotten about that. “Well, I can go into town and grab some groceries while you sleep.”

Olivia appreciated the olive branch he was offering, and she tried to shake the fatigue from her mind and body. “I appreciate that. But I’d really like to explore the town together.” A slight breeze stirred up and she pulled the blanket more tightly around her. “How about we finish our coffee, get ready, and then we can head into town.” She suggested. “Then you can buy me breakfast, we can explore a bit and then get some groceries and other things we need.” She wanted to get the lay of the land and get some food but then, it was going to be a lazy afternoon back here at the house. A cozy blanket, a book and maybe a nap.

And they’d have to figure out the situation with the extra bedroom.

“Sounds like a plan.” Elliot smiled at how she’d slipped in the fact that he was buying. It was definitely a small price to pay if he had been responsible for keeping her up the night before. “You want to take a shower first?”

“Are you going to use all the hot water if you go first?” Olivia asked, arching a brow at him.

“No?”

“Then go ahead. I want to sit out here a little longer.”

Elliot took one last gulp and finished off his coffee and then he was gone. Olivia looked back out at the spot where the deer had disappeared, drinking in the quiet. It was such a stark contrast to the constant commotion of the city, and when she’d first come out here in the morning, the silence had been almost deafening. But slowly, she had tuned her ear to the sound of the wind as it rustled the leaves in the trees, the trill of birds hidden amongst the leaves and the antics of squirrels as they scampered about their business. This was the type of getaway she’d never imagined for herself, but now that she was here, she was amazed that she’d ever thought to have this type of escape before. She presumed it was her upbringing. Serena had never had a desire to leave the city. They didn’t vacation at the Jersey shore or out on Long Island, leaving the city for the summer as many families did, so she’d never had a chance to miss it.

Olivia’s thoughts turned to the week ahead. She knew that she needed to relax into vacation mode and be comfortable with the tone that Elliot seemed intent on setting. If it had been she and Casey that were holed up on this retreat, she knew she wouldn’t have an issue going into full vacation mode, so she should be able to do the same with Elliot.

Or course, things with Casey weren’t quite the same as with she and Elliot, but she tried to push that from her mind. She and Elliot were friends. They knew each other well. If anything, it should be easier to let their day-to-day city lives behind them…to let their hair down a little. 

When Elliot had invited himself along, she’d told herself it didn’t change a thing.

Now, she just had to believe it.

EOEOEOEO

There had been a rack of brochures promoting a wide variety of sights and activities on the island in the vestibule of the restaurant, and Elliot had grabbed quite a few while they’d been waiting for a table. Now, he was sorting through the stack of them on the table as they waited for their breakfast.

“This says we can drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain and they suggest you watch a sunrise or sunset from that vantage point.” Elliot said, still perusing the brochure as he spoke. “There are some great hiking trails. The Beehive and the Precipice.” He lifted a brochure, showing her the map. “The views from these trails must be amazing.”

“We’re on vacation.” She pushed the brochure back towards Elliot. She remembered those names from her various conversations with Casey and she had shuddered each time Casey had read about the challenges. “Isn’t there a beach and a lighthouse or something?”

“It’s a little cool for the beach.” Elliot said, trying not to think about Olivia in a swimsuit. 

Olivia shrugged. “There are lots of cute shops.”

Elliot furrowed his brow. He didn’t think of Olivia as being a shopper, at least not one that liked to browse through shelves of t-shirts and knick-knacks. “That’ll be one of those times we split up I guess.” He handed Olivia a map of the downtown area. “Here’s a list of all the shops and restaurants.” 

The waitress brought their food, and Olivia set the brochure to the side. “Thanks.” She wasn’t really that excited about shopping, but she could tell that Elliot was on a mission to plan their days and it sounded exhausting.

“I thought you and Casey were coming here to hike.” 

Olivia looked up, feeling as if Elliot had read her mind once again. “We came to get away and relax. Eat food that’s bad for us, drink too much…”

“Meet some guys?” Elliot suggested, referring to their previous conversation. 

Olivia shrugged, reminding herself of the little pep talk she’d given herself that morning. She wasn’t going to treat him any different than she would Casey. “Whatever happens in Bar Harbor…” She gave Elliot a secretive smile and then turned her attention to her breakfast. She would give anything to see the look on Elliot’s face right now, but she pretended to be engrossed in the omelet on her plate. She took longer than necessary to cut off a bite. She looked up at Elliot as she took the bite, but surprisingly, saw a cocky look on his face. 

Elliot “Far be it from me to be a cock blocker.” 

EOEOEOEO

Elliot trailed behind Olivia as they made their way through the small market. He knew Olivia had been teasing him. 

Well, he was almost certain of it. 

His eyes trailed down the tight fit of her jeans and the curve of her ass, wondering once again if she and Casey would have hooked up over the course of the week. He was almost on top of her before he realized she had stopped. She turned around in front of the shelves laden with chips and took a few steps back when she saw how close he was standing. “Do you want any chips?”

“Whatever you like.”

“Elliot.” Olivia said in an exasperated tone. “You have to give me some input.” He’d been following her around, agreeing to whatever she proposed. Just telling her to get what she wanted. “This is for both of us.”

“I just figured we’d mostly be eating out. We just need some breakfast stuff and some coffee. We’re going to be in town almost every day so we can pick up things as we need them.” The sun was shining, the temperature was warming, and although he had agreed to stop and pick up a few things, he found he was anxious to get outside and explore.

Olivia grabbed a bag of chips and tossed them into the basket he was holding and then walked a few more yards and nabbed a jar of peanuts, tossing them in as well. She didn’t know what Elliot’s issue was, but she was getting even more annoyed with him as he followed her around. “Why don’t you go get some eggs, and I’ll meet you over there.”

Elliot could hear the annoyance in her voice, so he didn’t object to the directions she’d given him. He knew he was preoccupied, and he chastised himself. He couldn’t be annoyed with her for something she may have theoretically done on this trip, just because his own agenda had changed. This was supposed to be a vacation. He was supposed to ease into this…woo her with his wit and charm. Not act like a jealous asshole for something she hadn’t even done.

Elliot grabbed the eggs from the dairy cooler and then, on a whim, grabbed a half gallon of chocolate milk. He turned and saw Olivia walking towards him. When she neared, he held out the chocolate milk like a peace offering. “Sorry.”

Olivia raised a brow, surprised to hear a rare apology from him. “Chocolate milk?”

“I happen to know that secretly, it’s one of your favorites.”

Olivia gave him a slight smile. “El. Chocolate milk is one of _your_ favorites.”

“Hmm.” He shrugged slightly and smiled, as if that would excuse his mistake. “Well…” He broke into a grin. “I’m willing to share.”

“In that case, apology accepted.” She grabbed the milk and headed towards the front of the store. “Let’s get out of here and explore this island.”


	4. pushing the Limits Chapter 4

Elliot had agreed to put the groceries away while Olivia changed, since the only thing he needed to do to dress for the warming temperature was strip off his sweatshirt. When he was finished with the last of the food, he pulled his sweatshirt over his head and headed out to remove the ragtop from the Jeep. The sun was shining brightly, and he figured they’d be warm enough as they explored the island. He and Olivia had decided to follow the road that hugged the coastline and leave the hiking and inner part of the area to the days that followed.

Elliot had just tucked the cover in the back of the Jeep when he saw Olivia walk out of the cottage. He was amazed at the transformation. She was wearing a white knit tank dress that hugged her figure in all the right places and a pair of simple, white cloth tennis shoes. She held what looked like a blue sweater in her hand, and she had her hair clipped up in the back. She practically skipped down the stairs and he saw her smile when she caught his eye. Whatever annoyance she had carried with her into the cottage had seemed to dissipate, and she held her smile all the way to the Jeep.

“Good idea to take the top off.” Olivia lifted her face to the sun. “It’s turning into a beautiful day.” She’d had a little pep talk with herself in her bedroom, talking herself out of ruining the day with a bad attitude. Elliot was just being Elliot. She should be used to it by now and not let him get under her skin. “Thanks for taking care of the groceries.” She said, flashing another smile. She wasn’t going to apologize for being annoyed, but she did want to let him know that she was over it and they could move on.

“You’re welcome.” Elliot walked around the Jeep to where she was standing. “Ready to go on an adventure?” He held out his hand, and surprisingly, Olivia took it as she climbed up into the Jeep.

“So ready.” 

Elliot walked around and got in, catching sight of her bare legs and the way the scoop necked of the tank showed her cleavage. “I like that dress.” He said, looking back at the road ahead before he could see her reaction.

EOEOEOEO

Olivia felt an initial chill as they headed back towards town, but she knew the sun would warm her as they went. She liked being the passenger, so she could take in the sights. It was amazing how different everything looked in the light of day. She had commented on the brilliant shimmer of the sun on the lake as they’d driven back from town this AM, and as they passed it again, she could see boats dotting the surface. She assumed that at this time of the year, they were fisherman, and she hoped that Elliot didn’t bring up fishing. That sounded incredibly boring to her.

They were back in town before she knew, the trip seeming to take less time with each drive there and back. Elliot had taken a left on Main Street going right past their breakfast spot, so they could check out the park and the town pier. Olivia saw a pretty gazebo in the park, and some children on the playground, and she looked towards the beach and the water as Elliot pulled into a parking spot. Olivia hopped out of the Jeep and Elliot was right by her side.

“Let’s head down to the pier, and then there is supposedly a walking path by the beach.” Elliot reached out but stopped before resting his hand in the small of her back. He didn’t think Olivia would appreciate being directed.

Olivia nodded, glancing back at extended arm, before they headed off in the direction of the pier. “Look!” They have whale watching tours.”

“Is that something you’d like to do?” Elliot asked. “Have you ever been out on the open water?” He knew that Kathy and two of his daughters got horribly seasick with the least bit of motion.

Olivia shrugged. “No. But I think that would be fun.”

They went in and found it was the very end of the season, so the tour guide couldn’t promise they’d see anything. “It still might be fun.” Olivia said to Elliot hopefully. She was game to try something new.

“Sure.” Elliot said. He was somewhat skeptical of shelling out money for a trip that may be a bust, but he caught Olivia’s enthusiasm. He pulled out his wallet and paid for both of their tickets as they settled on a tour the following afternoon. “You only live once.”

They left the building and headed down to the pier. It was almost like a scene from a movie, with some sea-battered old men standing along the long boardwalk with fishing poles in hand. They breezed past them, making it all the way to the end. Olivia braced her arms on the wooden railing and tilted her face to the sky once again, taking in a deep breath of the cool ocean air. Seagulls screamed up above as they flew around, looking for their next meal. 

Elliot stood several yards back, just watching Olivia. He felt a moment of sadness that this was her first trip to the ocean…that her childhood exposure to things like this had been so limited. He recalled his own days at the beach house his mother owned. The days spent in the water. The sandcastles and swimming. Just the _freedom_ of it all. He realized how happy he was that Casey hadn’t been able to make this trip and that he could share these firsts with Olivia. He was going to do whatever she wanted…would visit every stupid tourist shop and buy every ticket to every tour…if it meant he could experience them with her.

Olivia turned to find him, resting her elbows on the railing. “What’re you doing?”

Elliot walked up to her, closing the gap between them. “Watching you.”

Olivia furrowed her brows slightly, a smile tugging at her lips. “Why?”

“Because this is all new to you and that makes it fun for me.” Elliot said. He moved to the railing and Olivia turned with him. “I used to spend a lot of time at the beach house, we’ve taken the kids on vacations and all that, so it’s been awhile since I’ve seen anyone experience this for the first time again.”

“So, I’m acting like a child?” She asked, keeping her tone light. She wasn’t angry really, because she couldn’t dispute that there were going to be a lot of firsts for her, but she didn’t want pity about her childhood either.

“You’re acting like someone that’s never seen the ocean.” Elliot said, knocking into her shoulder purposefully with his. “And I think that’s pretty fucking awesome.”

Olivia smiled, pressing her shoulder up against his. She glanced over at him and saw he was still watching her face. “Yeah?”

“I’m glad I’m here with you.” Elliot said.

The sincerity and emotion in his voice surprised Olivia. “Me too.” She said softly, unsure if he even heard her over the sounds of the waves crashing against the pier and the noise the gulls made. But then she saw a grin on his face, and she knew that he had.

They stood there for a few more minutes, just staring out at the water. Olivia could make out some land across the way and Elliot explained that there were several small islands that ringed the island they were on. “You’ll see them on the boat tour tomorrow I’m sure.”

They decided to leave the pier and they picked up the Shore Path. They paused at Town Beach, but it was small and quiet. Perhaps a little too cool for the locals. Up ahead, they could see another wooden pier jutting into the water, and a large resort set just back from the path. As they neared, they saw the sign for the Bar Harbor Inn & Spa. There was a beautiful patio, with each table sporting yellow umbrellas, and as if on cue, Olivia’s stomach grumbled.

“Let’s stop and have lunch!” Olivia suggested. They had really just started their walk, but the spot looked so idyllic. Spontaneity was ok when you were on vacation, and the walk would be waiting for them when they were done.

“I could go for something cool to drink.” Elliot couldn’t help but smile. He had expected it to be difficult for Olivia to relax, but she was settling into vacation mode quite easily. “And we don’t have anyplace we need to be.” 

They approached the attendant, and she sat them at a table with a great view of the rocky shoreline, just past the pier. She slipped off her sunglasses and tossed them on the table as she leaned back in her chair. A young girl, dressed in khaki shorts and a t-shirt, handed them some menus, and took their drink orders before she disappeared.

“This day is absolutely _gorgeous_.” She glanced over at Elliot with a big smile on her face and saw a bemused expression on his face. “What?”

“I’m just not used to seeing this much…enthusiasm…from you.”

“Enthusiasm?” Olivia raised an eyebrow, but she still had a smile on her face.

“Yeah.” Elliot shrugged. “I thought it would take you longer to get into vacation mode. Honestly…” Elliot said, leaning back in his own chair. “I wondered if you even could. I mean, you don’t take a lot of time off.”

“I take days off.”

“And do what?” Elliot asked, trying to make a point. 

“Stuff.” Olivia said defensively, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. This verbal sparring with Elliot was fun.

“Ah ha.” Elliot said. “Boring stuff.”

Olivia laughed. “Not always. Well, maybe sometimes.” Olivia conceded. “But I have to tell you, when Casey suggested we go away somewhere, I wasn’t really sure about it. She got really excited when she talked about a little cottage buried in the woods and all I could think about was bugs and snakes and nature. And being alone in the woods sounded like a horror movie.”

“What convinced you?”

Olivia laughed. “Her _enthusiasm_.” She emphasized the last word and got a laugh out of Elliot. “Seriously though, I didn’t really have any good reason to say no and I didn’t have a better option, so I thought what the hell?” She let out a sigh. “I just had no idea that it was so beautiful here. So peaceful.” She knew it had been less than twenty-four hours since they had arrived, but there was something about the place that put her at ease.

The waitress brought their drinks. A beer for Elliot and a Vodka tonic for Olivia, and they both ordered a lobster salad for lunch. 

“Am I going to have to carry you out of here?” Elliot asked as Olivia drained a third of the glass. 

“We’re on vacation Elliot.” Olivia gave him a mischievous smile. “Lighten up.”

Elliot chuckled, picked up his mug and held it out. Olivia lifted her glass and clinked it lightly. 

“Here’s to vacation, sunshine, relaxation and lightening up.” 

EOEOEOEO

Olivia ate every bite of her salad. The lobster was so fresh she swore someone had caught it that day. And maybe they had. She was finishing up her second drink, as was Elliot, and she let out a contented sigh as she placed her glass on the table. She was feeling a bit sleepy and knew she either needed to head back to the cottage or get moving, and she chose the latter. She wasn’t going to sleep this beautiful day away.

“I think I’m going to go inside and book a massage in the spa for later this week and then let’s get back to our exploration of the island.”

Elliot nodded as he threw some cash on the table and followed Olivia inside. The inside of the hotel was about what he’d expected. Quaint and small town, with a sense of history, but well-maintained. 

Olivia found the entrance to the spa and took note of the good-looking young man at the reception desk. His nametag said Jack. He was toned and tan and probably too young for her, but she couldn’t resist giving him a smile. She wondered if he was a masseuse or just the receptionist. “Hi Jack.” Olivia said. “I’d like to book a massage.” 

Jack looked at her and then at Elliot. “A couple’s massage?”

Elliot wasn’t quite sure what was involved in a couple’s massage, and he kind of liked the sound of it, but Olivia quickly shut that down. She glanced over at him before turning back to “Jack”.

“Just a single massage.” She glanced back at Elliot. “Unless…did you want one?”

“Is the couple’s massage still on the table?” He asked.

“Um. No.” Olivia said, glancing back at Jack. She leaned on the counter slightly. “Are you one of the masseuses here?”

Jack smiled, glanced over at Elliot and then back at Olivia. “No. I’m a personal trainer and the onsite yoga instructor. We just take turns working the desk.” He glanced down at the book in front of him. “So, if you’re interested in either of those, we have options. Are you a guest here?”

Olivia shook her head.

“Oh, sorry.” He said regretfully, and Elliot couldn’t help but smile. Jack looked down at the computer screen. “Well, I can fit you in on Wednesday morning with Ellen. She’s great.” He glanced back up at Olivia. “Do you want deep tissue or hot stone?”

Olivia couldn’t help but roll her shoulders. The thought of a massage sounded so wonderful. “Deep tissue.”

Jack continued to pepper her with questions abut length of time and then provided details on when to arrive, but Elliot barely registered it. He was busy watching Olivia, flirting with this guy. Elliot thought that maybe Olivia was barking up the wrong tree, but he wasn’t completely sure. Jack was definitely being friendly, but that was part of his job, and Elliot wasn’t sure it was much more than that. 

At least that’s what he was going to tell himself.

Olivia turned back towards him. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

They headed back outside, and Olivia realized that her drinks had made her head slightly fuzzy. She wondered when she’d become such a lightweight. “It is okay with you if we head back to the Jeep and keep driving?”

“Instead of finishing on the path?” 

“Yeah. I’m just a little…” She didn’t want to tell Elliot that maybe she’d downed those drinks too quickly, so she didn’t finish her sentence. 

Elliot was a little surprised she was suggesting it, but he thought perhaps the drinks she’d had at lunch had been strong. “Do I need to carry you to the car?” 

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Of course not.”

“That’s one.” Elliot said with a chuckle.

“One what?” Olivia was puzzled by his comment.

“That’s your first eye roll of the day.” He looked at his watch. “I’m surprised it took this long.”

Olivia almost rolled her eyes again but caught herself in the nick of time. “Just for that, I _should_ make you carry me to the Jeep.” No sooner were the words out of her mouth when she saw a glimmer in Elliot’s eye. He reached down and scooped her into his arms before she could even squeak out a protest and started walking in the direction of the parking lot.

“Elliot! Put me down.” Olivia said, pushing against his chest. But he had a firm hold of her, with one arm beneath her knees and his right arm secured around her lower back. His fingers dug into her waist slightly as she struggled, but she started to laugh, and it weakened her fight. “You’re crazy.” She said, seeing the determined look on his face. 

“You challenged me to do it, so…” Elliot said, enjoying the feel of her body pressed up against his. 

“I did not.” Olivia tried to be indignant, but the giggles had taken hold and she couldn’t find any strength to fight him physically or verbally.

Elliot stopped in his tracks and looked at her incredulously. “Are you giggling?”

“No.” Olivia said, but she barely choked the word out. She didn’t know what had come over her, but she couldn’t seem to contain her laughter.

Elliot shifted Olivia in his arms. The clip holding her hair flew off and let loose her waves, and her dress slid down and pooled on her upper thighs. He had this insane desire to lean in and capture her lips in that moment, but Olivia was still trying to control her laughter and as his eyes moved from her lips to her eyes, the moment passed. 

“Let me down.” She said with one final laugh, and then Elliot lowered her to the ground. The hem of her dress fell back to her knees and she leaned over to grab the clip from the grass. She clipped it to the strap of her dress, rather than trying to redo her hair. “Just for the record, I was not giggling.” She said, feeling on the verge of laughter once again.

“Of course not.” Elliot said as they started walking.

“I don’t giggle.” Olivia repeated, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

In just under ten minutes, they were back on Main Street and headed out of town. Olivia was looking at a map, trying to get her bearings. 

They’d been driving in silence for a few minutes before Elliot spoke again. “Were you flirting with that guy back there?” Elliot asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He kept his eyes on the road, but he could see her head lift and look over at him.

Olivia gave a brief laugh. “No. I was just being nice.”

“Hmm.” Elliot said. “You know, if he was looking for a date, I think he probably would have been more interested in me than you.” He glanced over at her and saw a look of disbelief on Olivia’s face.

“I don’t think so.” Olivia said. “You’re way off.” She said, shaking her head. “He was flirting with me.” She had no real indication of that, but it was fun to tease Elliot. “I just didn’t want to…” She shrugged slightly. “Leave you and force you to eat dinner all alone.” She smiled sweetly and then looked back at the map.

“How gracious of you. But even if it was true, don’t you think he’s a little young for you?”

“He wasn’t _that_ young.” Olivia insisted. “Besides, you don’t think a younger man could be interested in me?”

“I didn’t say that. I think all most, if not all, heterosexual men would be interested in you.”

Olivia laughed. “Yeah?” She tossed her hair back and readjusted her sunglasses. “All of them?” She laughed again. She gave Elliot a mischievous grin. “Lucky me.”

Elliot shook his head. “Yeah, but they’re not here. So…lucky


	5. Pushing the Limits Chapter 5

Olivia hadn’t known what to make of Elliot’s comment. She had given him a small smile and looked away, but not before she’d felt a small blush in her cheeks. Elliot had started whistling and seemed pretty pleased with himself, and she relaxed against the seat. They were having a great afternoon. She was having fun. She had to stop with this constant analysis.

They turned off and took a narrower road that brought them closer to the shoreline. Olivia could hear the waves against the rocky shoreline. The day had warmed up nicely and Olivia was anxious to make it to the beach. “Watch for the sign for Sand Beach.” 

“I thought you wanted to drive around the island.” So far, they had been doing very little driving and lots of stopping. It didn’t really matter to him. He just thought it was funny.

“I just want to stop at the beach for a few minutes.” Olivia said. “I want to put my toes in the water.”

“Just your toes?”

Olivia nodded.

“Good. Because I didn’t bring my suit.” He knew the water would probably be too cold for a swimming, but he wouldn’t put it past Olivia to try. They hadn’t gone much further when he saw the sign that Olivia had mentioned. Before he could say a thing, Olivia pointed it out to him as well. There was a small parking lot and he managed to squeeze into the last open spot.

Olivia hopped out of the Jeep, her hair whipping around in the ocean breeze. She tried brushing it back from her face but to no avail. She detached the clip from the strap of her tank and tried to clip back her hair, anticipating the wind would be even stronger down on the beach. Elliot had already worked his way around the back of the Jeep and was waiting patiently for her. She could see where the sun was already making his nose red and she realized that neither of them had thought to bring sunscreen. She made a mental note to remember tomorrow.

They headed towards the beach. It was a little busier than the public beach in town had been, but it seemed that for most that dotted the shore, it was just a quick stop on their way to hiking trails that branched off in either direction. Olivia made another mental note to check out those hiking trails versus the ones that climbed the mountain. They skirted a family having a picnic and stopped a few yards from where the waves lapped at the shore. 

Elliot breathed in deeply. This entire scene reminded him of the times he’d spent at the beach house, both as a child and an adult. The feel of the breeze against his face, the smell of salt air and the sand beneath his feet were things that brought all the memories rushing back. He put his hands on his hips and closed his eyes, taking in one deep breath after another. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Olivia had slipped off her shoes and was inching towards the water, the material of her skirt bunched up in her hands. He watched as she approached the water tentatively, smiling as she tensed up slightly in anticipation. The water lapped at the very edge of her toes and the tension left her body. She straightened, looking out as the water went back out to sea. Elliot saw a larger wave coming towards her, and he knew immediately that she had misjudged it’s reach. Seconds later, the cold water washed over her feet and he heard a slight squeal.

The cold water was a shock, and goosebumps had broken out across her body. Olivia held her ground, the sand seeming to melt beneath her feet as it shifted with the moving water. The next wave was larger still and had splashed up past her ankles, but she was getting used to the temperature no. She waded in a little more deeply, lifting her skirt so it wouldn’t get wet.

“You’re crazy.” Elliot said, walking a few steps closer to Olivia but staying far enough where the water couldn’t reach him. 

“Scared of a little cold water Stabler?” Olivia taunted him as she turned to face him. Another wave crashed against her legs, drenching the hem of her dress.

Elliot chuckled at the implied challenge. “Not at all.”

“Then why are you standing on the shore and not in the water?”

“I’m watching you.”

Olivia grabbed at the hem of her dress and lifted it enough to wring out the excess water. She focused on the task at hand, feeling slightly thrown off-kilter by Elliot’s comment, despite his earlier explanation. “Maybe instead of watching, you should be doing.”

Now it was Elliot’s turn to be surprised, and he could see by the slightly shocked look on Olivia’s face that those words hadn’t come out as intended. “I can do that.” His comment was laced with innuendo, and he saw that Olivia heard it as well.

He kicked off his shoes and waded into the water after her.

Olivia laughed when she heard the sharp intake of breath from Elliot. He wasn’t going to admit the water was freezing, but he hadn’t been able to hold that back. “Feels great, doesn’t it?”

“It’s awesome.” Elliot reached for his shirt and peeled it over his head, tossing it back on the beach. “In fact, it _is_ a great day for a swim.”

Olivia’s jaw dropped when she saw his intent, and two seconds later, he dove into the water. He came up, sputtering and spewing water and let out a loud yelp. Olivia laughed. “Now who’s crazy?”

Elliot started moving towards her with a mischievous grin on his face. Olivia shook her head and held out her hands in a defensive gesture, but before she could even turn to head back to the safety of the shore, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his wet body. “You’re going in!” He teased, pretending like he was going to fall in and take her with him. 

“Stop!” Olivia yelled out, feeling the water seep into the material and the cold water against her skin. The goosebumps were back, and she felt her nipples harden in reaction to the cold. She couldn’t push away from him or she’d go in for sure. She yelled out again as they did an awkward dance in the water, but the word was cut off again with a laugh that came deep from her belly. Elliot pressed his wet cheek against hers, causing another deep intake of breath on her part, followed by another laugh. She tried to backpedal and recapture her balance, but the sand shifted beneath her feet, making it impossible.

Elliot felt Olivia start to fall and he lifted her off her feet slightly, moving them towards the beach to keep them from landing in the water in a tangled mess. He was able to ground himself in the shallow water and took a few steps farther until he could set her gently on the sand. He made sure she had her footing before he released her. They were both laughing, and Elliot ran his hands over his head, sluicing the water from his hair and skin. 

Olivia’s watched the muscles in his arms and chest flex as he moved, and she looked away. Her wet dress was clinging to her body and she tugged at it, trying to pull the cold material away from her body. “Now who’s crazy?” She said, shaking her head as she looked back at Elliot.

“That’s what happens when you toss out a challenge like that.”

“That wasn’t what I had in mind.” 

“Go big or go home.” Elliot said, watching as she wrung water from grabbed the hem of her skirt and started wringing water from the material. As she stood, he saw how the wet material clung to her. The white dress wasn’t translucent, but it did nothing to hide her hard nipples or the outline of her bra and panties. “Do you want to wear my t-shirt?” He bent over and scooped up his t-shirt, but he hadn’t thrown it as far on the beach as he’d thought and half of it was wet. “Oh.”

Olivia laughed. “It’ll dry.” She pulled her dress away from her body again. The way Elliot was looking at her and the offer of his t-shirt pretty much confirmed that her white dress wasn’t leaving much to the imagination. She was glad she had worn white underwear beneath. 

“I tossed some towels in the truck. Be right back.”

Olivia watched him run up the beach and then turned back towards the ocean, listening to the chatter from the family picnic and the gulls weaving and diving over the waves. She heard a small ‘oof’ as Elliot hit the sand again, and then he was back by her side, wrapping a towel around her shoulders.

“Here you go.”

Olivia clutched at the edges. “Thanks.”

“I grabbed the Army blanket I keep in the back too. I thought you might want to sit here for a bit and dry out.” His own shorts were soaked, along with his underwear and t-shirt, and he didn’t relish getting back into the Jeep and driving in wet clothes. He spread the blanket out next to where Olivia was standing. She didn’t waste any time stepping on to it and settling herself on one side, leaving ample room for him.

Olivia leaned back, bracing her arms on the blanket behind her. She dropped her head back and closed her eyes, feeling the sun on her face. She felt Elliot settle on the blanket next to her. When she opened her eyes, she saw he was laying down. He had his arms bent above him, cradling his head as he stretched out. She tried not to stare at the muscles in his abs, or the way his shorts hung low on his hips, but when her eyes met his, she knew she’d been caught. 

Olivia lowered herself down on the blanket and then rolled over on to her side, so she was facing Elliot, bracing her head on one bent arm. She saw Elliot’s eyes drop down to her breasts. She grabbed the neckline of her dress and tugged at up, but with how wet it was, she wasn’t sure it really helped. But Elliot got the message and looked up at her face. “I’m really glad I didn’t cancel this trip.” She said, feeling the smile on her face.

“Me too.” Elliot said. “I didn’t realize how much I needed this.” He reached out and ran a finger across Olivia’s cheekbone. “Your freckles are coming out.” He said before dropping his hand.

Olivia’s fingers followed the trail Elliot’s finger have, as if she’d be able to feel them. “Ugh.”

“I like them.” Elliot said. “They’re adorable.”

“Adorable?” Olivia raised one brow, surprised by his word choice. She didn’t think anyone had used that word with her before.

“Yeah.” Elliot said, not backing down. “You shouldn’t cover them up.”

“Well, since I don’t plan on putting on any makeup on this vacation...”

“You don’t need make-up.” Elliot said.

Olivia heard the implied compliment and she looked away. Compliments had always been difficult for her, but a compliment like that from Elliot was even harder to accept. She wasn’t sure what to do with it. She rolled onto her back, adjusting her dress again. She grabbed the towel Elliot had provided and stuffed it behind her head, using it as a pillow. The sun was starting to do its job, and her skin was warming nicely.

Elliot had seen Olivia’s reaction to what he’d said, and he smiled as she ignored it and lay back on the blanket. He’d never be able to tell her just how beautiful she was outright, but he was glad he’d found a way to let her know exactly what he thought. He let out a slow sigh and closed his eyes, feeling incredibly relaxed.

A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and glanced over at Olivia. He realized she had fallen asleep. He knew she hadn’t slept well the night before, but had never been much of a napper, so it surprised him. Of course, if he added in the drinks she’d had, it made more sense.

He rolled over on his side, taking the opportunity to look at her without recrimination. Her windblown hair looked incredibly sexy. Her dark lashes rested against her smooth skin, her cheeks slightly pink from the sun and dotted with those adorable freckles. Her beautiful mouth was relaxed and looked so damned kissable in that moment that he had to keep himself from moving closer.

He let his eyes continue down her body, resting momentarily on the swell of her breasts before he roved over her stomach. He moved lower, realizing he could still see the outline of her panties. He felt like a voyeur as his eyes traced the waistband, cutting extremely low on her abdomen, and then landed where the material of her skirt was caught between her thighs.

Elliot tore his eyes away, feeling guilty about the way he was looking at her and the thoughts running through his head. If he didn’t stop, he was going to be in an uncomfortable situation right here on the beach.

Elliot laid back, closed his eyes, and tried to think pure thoughts.


	6. Pushing the Limits Chapter 6

“I can’t believe I fell asleep.” Olivia said as she climbed back into the Jeep. With the voices of all of the people in the area, the sound of the waves and the cries of the birds, it wasn’t exactly quiet.

“You can sleep in the cribs with people coming in and out.” Elliot said, knowing exactly what she meant by her comment. He had fallen asleep too and was surprised when he’d woken up almost 45 minutes later. Olivia had just been stirring, and they had both looked at each other in surprise.

“The day is almost over.” Olivia complained, fastening her seatbelt.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.” Elliot said. It was almost three, and the sun was starting its descent, but there was plenty of daylight left. “We’ve got plenty of daylight left.” He started the Jeep. He glanced over at Olivia and saw what could be considered a small pout on her face. “Do you need a coffee?”

Olivia brushed her hair back from her face and let out a small laugh as she looked over at Elliot. “You know me so well.” She glanced up at the sun again. “We’d have to go back to town though. We don’t have time to backtrack.”

“Where do we have to be?” Elliot put the Jeep in gear, backed out of the space and headed back in the direction of downtown. “This island isn’t that big, and we have all week.” He grinned at Olivia before turning his attention back to the road. “No schedules this week, remember? We can do whatever we want, whenever we want.”

“You’re right.” Olivia settled into her seat. “No schedule. No calls.” She let out a sigh. “My own private chauffeur.” She teased. “I could get used to this.”

“Your wish is my command.” He shot back with a smile.

EOEOEOEO

They’d found a deli that was still open, and Olivia ordered a coffee for herself and for Elliot, along with a Monster Cookie for each of them. Sweets were a weakness of hers, and she mostly avoided them. But she had talked herself into the indulgence, citing a vacation without bounds. She was carefully balancing everything, but when she reached the Jeep, Elliot reached over and grabbed one of the coffees from her. “What’s in the bag?”

“I bought you a treat.”

“Yeah?” He grabbed the bag from her and peered inside. “My favorite.”

Olivia climbed in, setting her coffee in the cupholder, and reaching for the bag. Elliot jerked the bag out of reach. 

“What’re ya doing?”

“One of those is for me.”

“You said they were for me.”

Olivia rolled her eyes and settled back in the seat. Elliot was really enjoying making a game of everything.

“That’s two.”

Olivia groaned. “We’re not keeping track.”

“We are.” Elliot said, a big grin on his face. “And I think I said you get two a day.” He leaned a little more closely, the bakery bag still clutched in his hand.

“Who said you get to make all the rules?”

“I don’t get to make _all_ the rules.” Elliot responded. “But I did make the rule about eye rolling. And that’s two. So…”

“So…what?” Olivia asked, raising one brow in question.

“So, now there are consequences.”

Olivia rolled her eyes again purposefully. “Such as?” She was pretending to be annoyed, but much like before, she was loving this casual exchange between them.

“Well, since this is the first offense, we’re going to let you off lightly.” Elliot declared. He was making this up as he went along. “You can either give me your cookie, or…” He hesitated a second. “A kiss.” He pointed to a spot on his cheek, letting her know he wasn’t expecting a full-on kiss, but he saw she was surprised by the look on her face.

Olivia hadn’t been anticipating those options, and the expression on Elliot’s face told her he expected to get both cookies. She pressed her lips together and gave him a small smile. “Well, you know I can’t forfeit my cookie.” She unfastened her seatbelt and leaned over, grasping his chin lightly with her fingers. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek, letting her lips linger against his skin for a few seconds longer than necessary. As she moved backwards, settling into her seat, she took advantage of his surprise and grabbed the bag of cookies. “Satisfied?” She gave him another smile as he sat frozen in place. “I thought so.”

EOEOEOEO

Elliot swore he could still feel Olivia’s lips against his skin, and it was almost three hours later. To say he’d been surprised would be a huge understatement. He wasn’t complaining, but he certainly hadn’t expected that, or the playful tone in her voice. She had obviously known exactly what she was doing…had enjoyed toying with him. 

He loved it.

They hadn’t even been on vacation for twenty-four hours, and it felt like they were different people. Or at least, how they interacted was different. 

She was sitting across from him now, studying the menu. They had circled the island, stopping only once, and ended up back in town. They were both hungry and had decided they may as well have dinner before heading back to the cottage.

Olivia looked up and caught Elliot staring at her again.

“You got a little sunburned today.” Elliot sensed the question in her eyes and blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.

Olivia smiled and raised a hand to her cheek, remembering the comment about her freckles. “That’s okay. It was worth it.” She picked up her beer and took a sip. “When I think back to this morning, when I was sitting on the porch and having coffee, it just seems like so long ago. It seems like this day has lasted forever, but for the first time in a long time, that’s a good thing!”

Elliot couldn’t disagree. They had certainly had their share of days that they thought would never end, but exhausting days on the job were a vastly different thing. “I hope all of our days here are like this.” He lifted his glass in a mock toast and then took a big swig. “Are we going to get up early tomorrow and try to catch the sunrise on top of Cadillac mountain?”

“How about we catch the sunset instead?” Olivia suggested. “Grab a bottle of wine…” She could picture them watching the sun dip low on the horizon, stretched out on a blanket with a picnic between them. “Maybe we could bring dinner up there.”

“I like your idea so much better than mine.” Elliot found he was already looking forward to it…anticipating the shared experience.”

Two hours later, dinner was done, their drinks were drained, and the conversation had dwindled. Despite their nap, they were both tired, and agreed to head back. 

“Who knew that being on vacation and relaxing was so tiring?” Elliot pondered when Olivia commented on the fact that it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. They drove back to the cottage in silence, letting the peacefulness of the scenery wash over them. Elliot was driving cautiously again as night had fallen. He didn’t want to run into anything on the road and ruin their day.

Olivia was shivering slightly from the cool night air, and she pulled her sweater more tightly around her. She knew she should have asked Elliot to put the top back on the Jeep, but it had seemed like a lot for a short drive. She was going to take a hot shower when she got back, put on her sweats, and curl up with a good book until she dozed off.

As she was thinking about how wonderful it would be to climb into bed, she remembered that they hadn’t resolved the sleeping situation. It had simply escaped her mind as they’d whiled away their day. She was about to say something, but as they pulled into the driveway of the cottage, she noticed a light on inside. “I don’t remember leaving a light on.” Olivia whispered as the Jeep rolled to a stop. “Do you?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “No. I made sure I turned off all the lights.” He didn’t feel that familiar dread nor was the hair standing up on the back of his neck, but he still moved quietly as he got out of the Jeep. “Stay here.”

Olivia ignored him, itching to remind him that she had the same training as he did, but she held her tongue. They both stepped on to the porch from opposite sides, each peeking into the closest window at almost the exact same moment.

Elliot looked over at Olivia and shook his head, and she did the same. The ducked down and moved slowly to the door. They really had no choice but to punch in the key code, knowing the noise would certainly alert anyone inside. Elliot motioned for Olivia to switch positions with him, but she stubbornly refused, reaching for the keypad. Before he could stop her, she was punching in the numbers and pushing the door open. He pushed in right behind her, almost knocking her to the ground as he looked around the area. Olivia moved ahead and started down the hallway, and while he knew he should check out the kitchen, he didn’t like the idea of her surprising an intruder without a weapon in her hand. He crowded her as they crept along the wall, and Olivia elbowed him lightly, signaling him to back off a little.

Elliot held his ground as she neared the doorway, feeling dread coiled in the pit of his stomach. He reminded himself that she knew what she was doing. Olivia peered around the doorframe, flooding the room with light as she flipped on the switch. He held his position at the door, keeping an eye on the bathroom and behind him and listening for any sound that would give away an intruder’s position.

Olivia came out of the bedroom and pointed towards the bathroom, but she already knew there wouldn’t be anyone inside. The house was too quiet, and she didn’t have the sense that anyone else was there. She made a quick canvas and then they headed to the kitchen, but again, she wasn’t expecting anyone. She stood in the middle of the room and turned around in a complete circle, looking back at Elliot in the doorway. She shrugged, but then saw Elliot glance over at the stairwell.

The upstairs was tricky, because there was no way to go up the stairs quietly, and you couldn’t turn on the light until you were already up there. But if you were going to hide, it was the most logical place. Still, she hadn’t heard a sound since they’d come into the cottage, and with all of the clutter upstairs, it was unlikely someone could be that quiet.

“Are you sure you didn’t leave a light on?” Olivia whispered, feeling more ridiculous by the second. But Elliot was already on the bottom step. She moved a little closer, looking up into the darkness, but she held her ground, holding on to the railing just in case she needed to sprint up the stairs after him. 

Elliot crouched down as much as he could when he neared the top, listening once again. He didn’t hear a sound, but knew he just had to go for it. He rushed up the last stair and brushed his hand along the wall, finally connecting with the light switch. He knew it was for nothing though. If someone had been up there, they would have had ample time to jump at him. He scoured the space anywhere, seeing the same mess he’d seen the day before. His eyes landed on the single mattress, laying askew on top of other things, and he realized he’d completely forgotten to deal with that today.

“Anything up here?” Olivia had worked her way up the stairs and was standing so that her head just cleared the landing. 

“Nah.” Elliot said. “Maybe I did leave a light on.” He felt like an idiot now, especially since his heart was still racing and he turned back towards the stairs. Olivia had already started back down, but he almost ran into her when she stopped.

“Oh my God.” She said, staring into the dining room area.

“What?” Elliot said, trying to wedge his body without hitting his head.

Olivia let out a peal of laughter. “We’re idiots.”

Elliot stared at the back of her head. “What?”

Olivia dropped down to the next stair and another laugh erupted. “Look.” She cleared the last stair with Elliot on her heels and headed towards the dining room table. 

Elliot came up behind her and looked over her shoulder. There, sitting on the edge of the table, was what was clearly a home-made pie. It was wrapped in clear cling wrap, with a note taped to it.

_Thought you might like a fresh blueberry pie. Mrs. made it this morning. Didn’t want to leave it out for the deer._

Olivia peeled the note gently from the pie, being careful not to tear at the wrap. “Someone broke in and brought us a pie.” She couldn’t control her laughter. “We’re ridiculous.”

Elliot knew it was years of training and instinct that had made them act they way they did, but it was pretty funny. “Why don’t we ever have cases like this in the city?”

He broke off and headed into the kitchen, opening cupboards until he found the plates.

“What’re you doing?” Olivia asked.

Elliot walked back towards her, armed with the plates, a knife, and some forks. “Having dessert.” He peeled the wrap back and start slicing into the pie. “Hey, why don’t you look to see if our prowler happened to leave any ice cream in the freezer.”


	7. Pushing the Limits Chapter 7

Elliot looked up at Olivia walked back into the bedroom. Her hair looked towel dried and once again, she was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt, with an oversized cardigan wrapped around her body. He was glad that he’d kept his t-shirt on when he had climbed into bed. He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable.

“Are you sure this is okay?” He asked. He knew what her answer would be, as they had discussed this before her shower, but he still felt like he had to ask.

“Are we really going to go over this again?” Olivia asked, grabbing two books off the nightstand. They’d been settled at the dining room table, splitting a second piece of pie, and laughing at themselves and their suspicious nature, when Elliot had reminded her that they hadn’t talked to their landlord about their issues with the loft. Olivia hadn’t wanted to do anything to ruin the mood of they day by making a big deal of it, so she had shrugged it off and suggested they just keep their arrangements the same as the night before. Elliot had asked her if she was sure at least three times, and it had given her pause, wondering if he thought something had changed between them in the past twenty-four hours. 

“I guess not.” Elliot chuckled, hearing her dismissive tone. He pushed his pillows up against the headboard and leaned up against it. He had found an old crime thriller on the bookshelf in the living room, forced to look for something since Olivia had told him she was going to crawl in bed and read. He wasn’t sure if it were something he’d be interested in, but it was the best option he could find. Otherwise, he’d simply be laying beside her and watching her read, and he didn’t think she’d appreciate him staring at her for the rest of the evening. He cracked open the book, seeing her shed her cardigan and slip into bed beside him.

“It feels odd to go to bed before 10.” Olivia said, pulling the covers up and settling them around her waist.

“We had an adventurous day.” Elliot took it as a good sign that she hadn’t felt the need to wear her sweater to bed. Either she was feeling more comfortable about having him sleeping next to her, or she was counting on some extra body heat from him. Either way, it worked. 

“Yeah, I guess we did.” Almost everything she’d done today had been so out of character, including another night of sharing a bed with Elliot. She wasn’t quite sure what had possessed her to invite him back so casually, but it had just seemed like too much work to figure out another alternative, or to make a big deal out of it. She knew that she had probably just paved the way for Elliot to sleep here all week, but it was done. She felt a small thrum low in her belly as she thought about it, but she quickly shut down that train of thought. “And that pie pushed me over the edge.” Olivia put a hand over her stomach. “I’m so full.”

Elliot glanced over at Olivia. “It was delicious.” Elliot agreed. “But I’m not sure I like the idea of someone coming into the cottage while we were gone.”

“I’m sure he knocked first to see if we were here.”

“What if we had been here but hadn’t been able to come to the door?” Elliot asked. He saw the question on Olivia’s face and her eyebrow arch slightly, and he realized what he was intimating. He quickly explained what he’d meant by his comment. “We could have been in the shower…” He realized that wasn’t any better. “I mean, I could have been in the shower and you could have been getting dressed or…” He clenched his teeth together to keep himself from saying anything else. He saw the tug of a smile on Olivia’s face though and she laughed out loud, turning her attention back to the book on her lap. 

“That’s my favorite part of today.” Elliot said, resettling himself against the headboard. 

Olivia looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. “Someone breaking in and bringing us pie?”

“No.” Elliot said. “Hearing you laugh.” He sat up and turned towards her slightly. “You’ve been laughing all day. From deep down…” He pressed his closed fist against his chest to illustrate the point. “Real laughter, from your gut. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh so much in one day.”

“I think you already told me that.” Olivia said, trying to brush off his comment. She was trying keep herself from blushing at the intensity in Elliot’s gaze and the ferocity of his words.

“Then you know I’m serious.” Elliot said, ducking his head slightly to capture her eyes. “I love what just one day has done for you. I’m happy that you’ve let go of the stress of the job and the chaos of the city so quickly.”

Olivia reached out and his right jaw with her hand. “Me too.” She said, giving him a small smile. They locked eyes for what seemed like a long minute and it wasn’t lost on her that it would take only seconds for Elliot to lean in and kiss her. She saw the realization in Elliot’s eyes almost simultaneously, and she dropped her hand quickly as he sat up, putting a little more distance between them. 

“I’d better get started on this…” Elliot lifted the paperback that was still clutched in his right hand and he saw a quick nod from Olivia as she turned her attention to her own. He leaned back and opened the book, intending to purge thoughts of kissing Olivia as he focused on the story.

If Olivia realized it took him five tries to read the first page, she didn’t say anything.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot woke to the sound of rain against the window. It was after daybreak; a weak light illuminating the room just slightly. He could hear Olivia breathing slowly, in rhythm, and he knew she was still asleep. He turned his head and saw her back was to him. She was on her side, almost curled into herself, and he wondered if she was cold. His eyes trailed down her body, stopping only momentarily at the bare strip of exposed skin on her lower back, and he saw the blankets bunched around her knees. He reached down and lifted them as gently as he could, pulling them over her body. Olivia stirred and for a moment, he was afraid he had woken her, but she settled back into place, tugging the covers more tightly against her chest.

Elliot held for a second, making sure she was really asleep, before he slid out of the bed. He stood in place for another few seconds, but she didn’t move again. He nabbed his sweatshirt from the chair and fished around for a pair of socks as the wooden floor was shockingly cold against his feet.

Once Elliot left the bedroom, he debated about closing the door. Chances are it would squeak, but luckily for him, it swung easily on its hinges. He made his way to the bathroom, and then to the kitchen, happy that they had picked up everything they needed for breakfast. He had a feeling the rain meant it would be a lazy morning, and he didn’t want to go out for breakfast or groceries. The only question would be what time Olivia would wake up.

Once Elliot had a mug of coffee in his hand, he sauntered over to the front windows. The rain wasn’t particularly heavy, but it was steady. He saw water pooled in sunken spots on the gravel driveway, so he assumed it had been raining for a while. Looking up at the sky, all he could see was gray, and he wondered if they would be socked in all day. He didn’t know what the weather patterns were out here, but he assumed they would. 

Olivia had been excited about getting out today, so he hoped she wouldn’t be too disappointed. Before they had left, she had told him that she was going to sleep in and take it easy, so even though they had plans for today, he thought she could probably ease into a quiet day. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it because he’d never had the opportunity to have many quiet days. Any time he hadn’t been working, Kathy had handed him a list of things to do.

If they were going to spend the day inside, he needed to make it a little warmer in here. He found the thermostat and bumped it up a few degrees, wishing they had a fireplace to make things really cozy. Since that wasn’t an option, he bumped the thermostat up another degree and headed back into the kitchen, wondering what time Olivia was going to wake.

EOEOEOEO

Olivia was in that strange state where she wasn’t sure if she was sleeping or if she was awake. She was aware of the sound of water drumming against the window, but she thought she must be dreaming because the weather was supposed to be sunny. Her mind was trying to figure out where she was when she heard someone rapping on a door. She saw herself walking to her apartment door when she heard someone say her name. She was really confused now because she hadn’t opened the door when she heard her name again.

It was Elliot and when he said her name again, she opened her eyes. She hadn’t been dreaming at all. The room was dim, with very little light from the outside, but she could make out Elliot standing in the light that beamed in from the hallway.

“Hey.” Elliot said, seeing the confusion on her face. He’d taken a gamble on the timing of breakfast, but he figured maybe she’d been laying in here reading.

He’d been wrong.

“I can’t believe you were still sleeping.” Elliot said, moving closer to the bed. “I’m sorry I woke you.” 

Olivia pushed herself up and ran a hand through her hair. “What time is it?”

“Almost 10.” Elliot said. He watched Olivia press her fingers against the bridge of her nose, right between her eyes, as if she were trying to clear her head. When she dropped her hand, she looked up at him and saw the tray in his hands. 

“I can’t believe I slept this late.” Olivia tugged at her t-shirt and pulled the blankets up to her waist. She glanced back at Elliot and noticed the mug in his hand. “Is that for me?”

“Yes. I’ve already had a whole pot.”

“How long have you been up?” Olivia asked, taking a sip from the mug.

Elliot shrugged. “I’ll be right back.” He rushed out of the bedroom and came back almost right away, holding a tray in his hands. “And here is your breakfast.” He set the tray on Olivia’s lap and whipped off the towel, revealing scrambled eggs, toast, and half of a banana. “I wasn’t sure how hungry you’d be, so I didn’t make a lot.” He explained. “And I ate half of your banana. But I can make you something else if you want more to eat or…”

“You made me breakfast in bed?” She hadn’t meant to cut him off, but she was so surprised by the gesture.

“Yeah.”

“That’s so sweet.” She gave Elliot a big smile. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I’ve been bringing you breakfast for years.” He teased, reminding her of all the mornings he stopped off and would bring her a muffin or scone or some other treat. “Didn’t think I should stop now.”

Olivia smiled as she bit off a piece of toast. “True.” She plucked another piece of toast from the plate and offered it to him. “Join me?”

“I ate hours ago.” Elliot sat down on the end of the bed. “I guess you heard the rain.”

“Yeah.” Olivia said, trying to look through the slats in the blinds. “Is it going to last all day?”

“Looks that way.” Elliot said. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I know you wanted to go hiking today and…”

Olivia shook her head. Now that she’d slept so late, she was feeling incredibly lazy. “I’m good with finding a comfy spot to curl up with my book and a warm blanket.” She smiled. “We had some adventure yesterday. So, today, we take it easy.”

EOEOEOEO

An hour later, they were both sitting on opposite ends of the couch with a huge quilt spread out across their legs. Olivia had taken a hot shower ad had donned a fresh pair of leggings, a heavy sweatshirt, and a pair of socks. She had her feet tucked beneath her and the blanket pulled up to her waist. She had refilled her mug and held it in one hand while she balanced the book against her knees. She kept stealing glimpses at Elliot. He kept shifting his weight on the other end, trying to find a comfortable position until he’d seen the ottoman tucked in the corner. He had situated it between them, but had his feet stretched out, taking up most of it. Luckily, the quilt they had pulled down from the closet shelf was large and fell over his legs to the floor.

The only sound in the room was the rain falling steadily against the cottage, and the occasional sound of paper as someone turned a page. Elliot saw that Olivia was engrossed in her book, but he hadn’t really gotten into his. He felt himself getting sleepy, which was almost unbelievable because he’d only been up about four hours. But the lack of activity, the quiet, the rhythmic sound of the rain and the warmth of the blanket all conspired against him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, only intending to rest for a minute.

The next thing he knew, he woke to an earth-shattering scream. 


	8. Pushing the Limits Chapter 8

The next thing he knew, he woke to an earth-shattering scream. 

Elliot jumped off the couch, barely staying on his feet as his legs got tangled in the blanket. “Liv?” He called out, hoping to get a response and to let her know he was on his way. It took mere seconds to make it to the short hallway. He glanced in the bedroom, registering it was empty, before reaching the bathroom door. He pushed the door open without a thought and saw Olivia standing on the edge of the bathtub. She had one hand pressed against the wall to balance herself, and he realized she was standing there half undressed. The hem of her t-shirt barely covered the tops of her thighs. When he looked down, he saw her pants and socks pooled on the floor, and then he realized the water was running into the bathtub. “What?” He asked, looking back to the floor and then around the room for any evidence of what had caused such a blood-curdling scream from his partner. “What happened?” His eyes landed back on her, and he looked her up and down. “Are you hurt?” He couldn’t see any sign of injury, but the distress on her face told him that her heart was probably racing just as quickly as his.

“No.” Olivia said quickly, feeling like an idiot when she saw the concern on Elliot’s face. “I’m fine.” She said again and she saw him relax slightly. He dropped his arms from the doorframe where he had been bracing himself and took a step into the room, looking around again.

“What was that scream for?”

Olivia tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down slightly, suddenly not wanting to admit to Elliot what had sent her heart into overdrive. But there was no getting out of it now. “I was sitting here…I was going to take a bath…” Olivia motioned towards the water in the tub, half full by this time. 

“And?” Elliot prompted, as he realized Olivia didn’t want to tell him. “Did you see someone outside the window?” Their landlord had said they keep to themselves, but he’d already been here twice in two days. “Was he outside the window?” Elliot glanced around her to get a look out the window, but the wooden shutters were closed.

“No.” Olivia said, furrowing here brows.

Elliot glanced back up at Olivia and held out his hand. “Come down from there.” He realized then that his hypothesis made no sense, because Olivia wouldn’t be standing on the edge of the tub, and she wouldn’t be hesitating now. It had to be something far less serious. “Was it a spider?” He couldn’t even begin to count how many spiders he’d killed for Kathy and his oldest daughter. 

Olivia shook her head, still perched on the edge of the tub. “I’m not afraid of a spider.” She said with disdain in her voice. 

Elliot dropped his hand. “Well then what? A snake?” He couldn’t imagine what could scare Olivia.

“It was a mouse…” She shuddered.

Elliot laughed out loud. “A mouse?” 

Olivia didn’t appreciate his laugh. “It ran right across my bare feet!” She said indignantly.

Elliot couldn’t stop laughing. “Yeah, but Liv, mice are like…tiny. You can take on men twice your size, but you’re scared of a teeny, tiny mouse?”

“Fears don’t have to be rational Elliot.” Olivia was annoyed. “And I didn’t ask you to come running in here to save me.” She said angrily. She shifted her attention from Elliot, looking around on the floor to make sure the mouse was gone. She couldn’t imagine where it had disappeared to, or how many more were lurking in the walls.

“You scream like that and you don’t think I’m going to come running?” Elliot asked, staring up at her.

“I just reacted.” Olivia explained. “I didn’t really stop to think if I should scream or not. Or how it would impact you.” She said sharply. She really wanted to climb down from the tub and escape Elliot’s teasing, but she couldn’t make herself. Her rational mind knew that the mouse was long gone, but there was a small part of her that still thought it may be waiting for the opportune moment to dart out from behind the tub.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t react. I’m just saying that maybe you could save the particular kind of scream for axe-murderers or other situations where your life is _actually_ in danger.” He laughed again, and his eyes followed Olivia’s as she scanned the room. “He’s long gone Liv.”

“I know that.” 

“Do you want me to carry you out of the room?”

Even though Olivia would never dream about letting Elliot carry her out, she must have hesitated a moment too long because the next thing she knew, he was reaching for her. She shifted backwards slightly, but she could feel herself tottering on the edge of the tub and she let out a small cry of surprise as she felt herself falling backwards towards the water. Elliot lunged towards her, wrapping both arms around her in almost a bear hug before she could fall backwards. Due to the difference in height, his face was buried in her breasts and his left arm was wrapped around the top of her thighs as he took a few steps back. She had thrown her arms around his neck automatically, but she could feel his warm breath against the thin material of her t-shirt and his hand on her outer thigh. The mouse was forgotten. “Let me down.” She said with a rush of breath. She loosened her arms and pushed against his shoulders, but her toes were already touching the floor as he lowered her to the floor. When her eyes met his, she saw humor there, and a smile followed quickly.

“Not afraid of the mouse anymore?” He teased before she could say anything else. He could see the flush in her cheeks, and he wasn’t sure if she were embarrassed or if the color in her cheeks was caused by something else, but he had enjoyed saving her from the fall. “You’re welcome.” 

“If you wouldn’t have lunged at me, I would have almost fallen.”

“That was hardly a lunge.” Elliot said. “I was helping you down.”

“I didn’t need your help.”

“It kind of seemed like you did. The big bad mouse was just waiting…”

Olivia swatted at him. “You don’t have any irrational fears?”

“I kind of have a thing about Jell-O.” Elliot joked as he caught himself. “But other than that, I assure you, all of my fears are completely rational.”

Olivia let out a sound of frustration and stormed out of the bathroom. Elliot watched her go, trying not to look at how her white, satin panties clung to the curve of her ass or her long, bare legs. When she had disappeared into the bedroom, he plucked her leggings and socks off the floor and followed her. He hung by the doorway as he saw her dig in her bag. “Do you want these back?”

Olivia gave him a sharp look and he knew she was angry. She stalked over to where he was standing and snatched them from his hands. 

“What I want is for you to give me some privacy.” 

She couldn’t shake the feeling of Elliot’s face buried against her chest or his bare hand against her skin and she didn’t trust herself not to grab on to him and pull him further into the bedroom. She didn’t know what had caused this sudden desire to throw caution to the wind, but she needed some space.

Masking her desire with anger seemed like the way to go.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Elliot asked, and for a moment, Olivia wondered if he could read her thoughts. 

“You might want me to stay close, to protect you against the horde of mice.” 

Olivia heard the slight innuendo in his comment, but Elliot chuckled, obviously feeling he was being really clever and funny. Olivia strode over to the door and grabbed the edge of it, and Elliot took a step backwards just as it slammed in his face.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot had read another three chapters, had made himself a snack, perused the board games stacked on the shelves and spent a fair amount of time staring out at the rain, and still, Olivia hadn’t emerged from the bedroom. He wasn’t sure if she was punishing him by locking herself away, or if she had simply crawled into bed and taken a nap on this rainy day, but he was bored and lonely, and he wanted her to come out. He wandered down the hallway, but there was no light coming from beneath the door. Of course, even though the day was cloudy and dreary, it wasn’t dark enough to necessarily need a light, so that didn’t mean anything. He listened for any sounds, but he couldn’t hear a thing. He considered knocking, but then thought better of it. He walked the few steps to the bathroom and saw the full tub of water. He reached into the cold water and opened the drain, watching for a few moments as the water started to recede. He remembered the mouse, and now, he felt kind of bad about giving Olivia a hard time about it. It was hard to remember sometimes that his tough-as-nails partner had another side to her, and he shouldn’t have been so hard on her.

He knew it wasn’t uncommon to have mice in houses in the woods, but he didn’t want her to worry needlessly about it. If Joe was any kind of landlord or woodsman, he had to have some traps around. He walked quietly back to the kitchen and looked under the sink and in a utility closet, looking for mousetraps. He didn’t have to look long, as Joe had piled some on the top shelf in one of the cupboards.

Elliot opened the packages and placed a total of six traps strategically around the cottage. When he was done, he walked back to the bedroom door and knocked lightly. “Liv?” He was met with silence, so he wasn’t sure if that meant she was still angry, or if she was asleep. He took a chance and opened the door just enough to be able to poke his head inside. He braced himself for anything that might come flying through the air in his direction, but his concern was unfounded. Olivia was wrapped up in a heavy quilt, sound asleep on top of the bed. He wondered how long she’d been sleeping, and if he should wake her up. He walked as quietly as he could towards her, but a squeaky floorboard gave him away, and he froze as her eyes flew open.

“It’s me.” Elliot said, feeling stupid the minute he said it. Who else would it be?

Olivia ran her hand across her eyes. “Did you come back to mock me some more?” She really wasn’t angry anymore. She just needed to regain her tough façade. 

“I came to tell you that I’m sorry.” Elliot said, sitting down on the side of the bed, uninvited. He could see the look of surprise on her face, but he did feel like he owed her an explanation. “I shouldn’t have given you a hard time about the mouse.” He said. “But I always think of you as fearless.” He said. “You run into dangerous situations, you tackle perps without a second thought…you run down the dark alley and into the abandoned warehouses even while I’m screaming at you not to. It’s one of the things I love about you and one of the things I absolutely hate about you.” He shrugged. “I guess I never spend much time thinking about the things you fear…your vulnerabilities. I know everyone has them.” He hesitated before he voiced his next thoughts, but he forged ahead. “Maybe because you hide them away…I don’t even let myself wonder about them. Or if I do wonder, I’m afraid to even bring them up, because you’d kick my ass.”

He reached out and brushed her hair back from her face. “But I do want to know the whole you. I want to ask. I want to know what scares you and what you hope for…wish for. I want to know the things that haunt you and the things you cherish. I already feel like I’m seeing a whole other side of you on this trip and I am so thankful for it.”

Olivia was a little shocked at this outpouring of emotion from Elliot. He’d obviously spent some time thinking about it, and she was a little speechless in this moment. “I don’t know what to say to all that.” Olivia said honestly.

“Just tell me you’re not still angry.”

“I wasn’t really all that angry to begin with.” Olivia said, starting to sit up.

“You could have fooled me.” Elliot said, shifting backwards to give her room.

Olivia pressed her lips together and looked down. “I think…” She looked back up at Elliot. “Everything you said was true. I am tough.” Olivia admitted. “And there are a lot of reasons for that. Some of them you know and some of them you don’t. But I’m always really cautious about letting people see the other side of me. I don’t want anyone to even think of me as being weak or incapable of doing my job.”

“No one would think that.” Elliot said.

“It’s not the same for a woman El.” Olivia said with a small shrug. “It’s sad but true.” She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “It’s not like I’ve purposefully kept things from you.” She said. “Things like a fear of mice just don’t come up in normal conversation. But I’m sorry if you feel like you can’t ask me about things. I’m closer to you than anyone in my life, and I’ll try harder not to shut you down.”

Elliot nodded. “OK.” He braced his hands against his thighs. He felt at is the conversation had played itself out. A heavy conversation over a small thing, but it felt like an important change in their relationship with each other. “OK, that seems like enough serious discussion for today.” He smiled, running his hands down his thighs. “Let me show you what I did while you were sleeping.”

Olivia climbed off the bed, keeping the quilt wrapped around her body, and followed him into the bathroom. She stood in the doorway while he ventured into the small room. 

Elliot turned with a triumphant smile on his face and pointed at something behind the toilet. He saw the question on Olivia’s face, and he realized she couldn’t see what he was pointing at. “It’s a mouse trap.” He said. “I’ve placed six traps around this cottage.” He chuckled. “You can breathe easier now. There is no way that sucker is escaping with his life.” 

“My hero.”

Elliot could hear the sarcasm in her voice, but the way she cast her eyes down and the hint of shyness in her smile told him that in that moment, maybe he was.


	9. Pushing the Limits Chapter 9

Olivia and Elliot had settled back on the loveseat, each on the same opposite ends they had occupied before Elliot had fallen asleep and Olivia had been terrorized by the mouse. The large quilt was spread out over both of them, with Elliot’s stocking feet sticking out on the ottoman. Olivia’s legs were bent at the knee, and her toes dug into the cushion lightly, sliding beneath Elliot’s thigh in an attempt to keep warm.

He wasn’t complaining.

Olivia tried to focus on the book in her hands, but her mind kept replaying the recent conversation they had shared in the bedroom, especially the part about him being afraid to ask her about certain things. When she thought back over the years, it seemed to her that he had been pretty comfortable nosing around in her personal life unapologetically, albeit gently most of the time.

A full thirty minutes had passed before she couldn’t pretend to read the same page over and over again. She closed her book and set it on her lap, resting her hands over the cover.

“Am I really that closed off about my personal life?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.

Elliot dropped his book, marking the page with his finger, before he looked over at her. “I don’t think I said you were closed off.” 

“You said that you felt like you couldn’t talk to me about things. That there are things about me that you don’t know and can’t ask.” Olivia shook her head. “I just don’t know how you can say that because I feel like you know me better than anyone.” She leaned forward slightly. “I’ve told you things that I’ve never told anyone else.”

“I know.” Elliot said acknowledging the part of her life she’d shared. “And I appreciate that because I know how hard that is for you sometimes.” He pressed his lips together, trying to decide how much he wanted to push her as she was obviously feeling a little bit defensive. “But when you think about it, I really only know the barest of details. You keep everything else buried deep, and I can only see what’s at the surface. What you choose to divulge. And so, I nod and take what you give me because I know how hard it was for you to tell me anything in the first place.” He pointed at Olivia. “There’s a lot going on in there, and most of the time, I’m just filling in the details with guesswork.”

“I’m not that complicated.” 

Elliot let out a small laugh. “If you say so.” He wasn’t going to push her anymore. He opened his book, looking for the page where he left off.

She was curious, but there was also a part of her that didn’t want to dig any deeper. She didn’t want this to spiral into an argument and she could already feel her emotions getting the better of her. He had obviously decided to let it go and was buried in his book once again, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “If I say so?”

Elliot finished the sentence he was reading before he turned his attention back to her, lowering the book to his lap. “Liv, I’m sorry.” Her defensiveness had ratcheted up a bit. “Just forget I said anything.” Even though she had started the conversation, he had probably said too much. He knew her past was littered with bad memories and he had no right to expect her to share anything more than what she had.

Olivia was undaunted by his comment as her curiosity got the better of her. “My father was a rapist, and my mother drank herself to death. That feels like a hell of a lot of information. What else could you possibly want to know?” She tried to keep her tone neutral, despite the gut-wrenching emotion those comments dredged up. There was obviously something about the Maine air or being on vacation that had allowed them to drop their guard and have some real conversations. She didn’t want to shut that down.

Elliot was surprised by Olivia’s comments, but the forced calm in her voice told him that her question was sincere. “Believe me, I know how hard it was to tell me those things. It means a lot to me that you’ve trusted me with some of the hardest parts of your life. But…” Suddenly, he felt like a jerk for asking her for more. “Never mind.”

“No.” Olivia said, shaking her head. “You say I’m closed off, and I’m giving you a chance here. Don’t shut down the conversation. Tell me what you mean.”

“Fair enough.” Elliot nodded, and then let out a small sigh. “I know the big things that have framed your life.” He started. “But you never talk about any of the little things. Like most people will say things like _when I was a kid, we used to_ …or _I remember once, when I was 12, I_ …” Elliot looked back and forth between her eyes. “You never say things like that. Ever. Never offer up any glimpse into things you did or liked or hated or…just anything. I don’t know if you and your mom ever took a trip, or if you had any hobbies or your favorite subject in school. It’s all of those little things that fill in the blank spots.”

“I don’t know any of those things about you either.” 

Elliot nodded his head, thinking about it. “I guess that’s true.” He realized he couldn’t argue with her on that point. “I guess we’ve both been holding back.” He would like to think that if she had asked, he would have told her anything, but he wasn’t sure that was absolutely true. He saw the smile on Olivia’s face, as if she’d won some sort of contest. “Don’t smile at me like that.” He smirked at her. “It doesn’t change the facts. It just means that the two of us are more similar than we maybe would care to admit.” He leaned forward again. “And that we both have a lot to learn about each other.”

Olivia couldn’t keep the smile from her face as Elliot talked, feeling somehow freed by the fact that they weren’t so different. She wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to share some of her past with him, but she’d do it if it meant she could get a glimpse of Elliot in his younger days. “My mom liked to go to old bookstores and scour the shelves. Looking for a hidden gem. Sometimes we’d spend hours there, so I liked to find a good book and curl up in a corner somewhere and lose myself in a story. Almost every time, she’d find me, clutching whatever treasures she found tightly in her arms, with dust in her hair and a smile on her face, and then we’d go for tea and we’d talk about her finds. Her face when she talked about books and characters and plotlines…” Olivia swallowed hard, remembering those days. They happened more frequently when she was in primary school, before life started taking its toll on her mother. “She was so radiant. So beautiful. So…” She could feel tears welling and she swallowed again.

Elliot had never been able to picture Olivia as a young girl, as there hadn’t been any pieces of the puzzle to fit together. But now he had an image of her, tucked into a corner, unseen, with her nose buried in a book. The thought made him smile, and he reached out and took her hand. “That sounds amazing.” He whispered, folding her hand in his.

Olivia swiped at the tear that had escaped down her cheek. “It was.” She gave him a small smile. “It was.”

“I guess that’s where you get your love of books.” Elliot said, remembering the stack on the nightstand.

Olivia withdrew her hand from Elliot’s, remembering the times those very same books had been thrown at her in frustration and anger. “Yeah.”

Elliot noted the shift, but he let it go. It was obvious his comment had dredged up some other, not so pleasant memory, and he regretted it. But these kinds of conversations were bound to bring out the good and the bad. Regardless, he felt privileged to have just a little piece of Olivia that he hadn’t had before. “Sounds like the rain has let up.” He said, trying to bring Olivia back from her thoughts. “Why don’t we get changed and head into town? Find a spot to have a drink and an early dinner?”

“I’d like that.” Olivia said, giving him a smile. In spite of the fact that their quiet afternoon had been incredibly relaxing, some fresh air and a change of scenery sounded like fun. “But you’re buying.”

EOEOEOEO

“What?” Olivia asked, catching Elliot’s eyes from across the table. 

“Nothing.” Elliot knew he was staring, but honestly, he felt like he was seeing her in a whole new light. The fact that she had opened up to him meant a lot, and for the first time, he could see a future that might look different than what they had now. A future that he’d thought about so many times but had been hesitant to let himself dream about for very long. He knew he still had to go slowly, but he felt like he could tell her things now that he hadn’t been comfortable telling her before. 

“Okay.” Olivia said with a small laugh. She ran her finger around the rim of her beer glass, but she could still feel Elliot’s eyes on her. She looked up at him through her lashes, actually feeling a little flirty. “You’re still staring.”

“Maybe I can’t stop staring because you’re so damned beautiful.”

Olivia was speechless. No witty remark came to mind…there was no quick rebuttal on the tip of her tongue. There was only the flush of heat in her cheeks and the skip of her heart as she absorbed the compliment. No matter how close they may have danced to the line they’d drawn between them, she and Elliot had never said the things they’d been tempted to say.

“I know…” Elliot said sheepishly, panicking slightly by her lack of response. “You’ve heard that a…”

“No.” Olivia said, effectively cutting him off. “It’s…” She felt the heat in her cheeks return. “It’s nice to hear it…from you.” She looked away, unable to stare him in the eye any longer. It was crazy, but she felt like what she imagined a schoolgirl would feel like if her crush had just complimented her. She put her hand to her cheek, thankful that the restaurant they had holed up in wasn’t well lit.

“Well, then I should compliment you more often.” Elliot was a little surprised that she had accepted his compliment instead of deflecting it, and that she had told him that she liked it. But he could tell her acceptance made her a little uncomfortable, so he needed to lighten things up a bit. “What do you want to do after dinner?”

Olivia glanced back up, thankful for the return to a more comfortable topic. “If it’s still warm enough, maybe we can go down to the small beach here in town.”

“You can’t get enough of the ocean, can you?”

“It’s just…the sounds of the water. Of the waves crashing on the shore. It’s so relaxing.” Olivia let out a sigh. “I just can’t seem to get enough.”

“Is the city girl going to become a country girl?”

“I’ll never leave the city.” Olivia said vehemently, and she meant it. “But I am going to make time to get to the beach more often.” It really was ridiculous that she hadn’t taken the time before since she lived on an island. There were plenty of beaches within an hour’s drive that were probably just as beautiful.

“Well, if you need someone to tag along, a partner in crime, so to speak, I’m your man.” 


End file.
